


Fool Me Once

by StarGazerGamer



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Dark, Death, F/M, Some fluff but not very much, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-11-29 16:37:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 38,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11444808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarGazerGamer/pseuds/StarGazerGamer
Summary: Celeste Ryder discovers a dark conspiracy on Kadara that involves the Charlatan.  She delves deeper, following the threads to the heart of the conspiracy.  When she gets to the center of the tangled web, what will the cost be?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is Masks and Lies redone with a new title and some major editing. Somehow I accidentally deleted it last time on mobile thanks to a damn mobile software update. So I took the opportunity to do some heavy editing for the fic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by WardenBlues on Tumblr!
>
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/teF29hY)
> 
> Some screenshots of Celeste from the game.
>
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/Jp0bteH)

Chapter One: Prelude  
Footsteps beat a rapid staccato as Celeste Ryder marched up the ramp to the Tempest’s conference room. Her hand slid along the smooth banister as SAM gave her a brief account of what to expect on the vid comm call. Hair swinging in tempo with her fast pace.  
“Mayor Tate didn’t say anything else? Only that he wanted to speak with me?” Auburn locks got pushed out of her face in frustration as she cleared the top of the ramp. SAM confirmed that Mayor Tate would only speak to Pathfinder Ryder and no one else. A chill slithered down her spine at SAM’s words. She could practically feel the sense of ill omen settling on top of her shoulders. Her muscles were tight enough to bounce a quarter off them at the moment. She cleared the top of the ramp and her eyes focused on the blinking light that indicated an incoming call. Her fingers pulled absently at her shirt, an unconscious nervous tic she’d had since childhood. She’d once thought she’d outgrown it and it had been years since she’d last resorted to the habit, but then her father had made her Pathfinder. The nervous tic seemed to show back up ever since she’d meet the Nexus leadership after Habitat 7. Celeste shook her head to focus on the present, Diteon was on Kadara and Mayor Christmas Tate was more than well equipped to handle minor disturbances. Celeste knew this was more than a minor annoyance. Reyes had also promised to have the Collective keep an eye on the outpost, and he’d upheld his end of the bargain so far.

Meridian was found, the Archon destroyed, and Andromeda was a little bit more hospitable. _Shit like this isn’t supposed to be happening anymore damn it_ , her thoughts roiled around her brain, she had hoped to get a little time off to spend with Ryan while he recovered on the Hyperion. She was owed a small vacation after picking up the mess that was Andromeda. A Pathfinder’s work was never done it seemed, her fingers slid over the buttons to accept the call from Mayor Tate. An irritated puff of air left as she waited for his holographic projection to appear.

“Mayor Tate, what can I do for you?” Her swung over as the holographic projection of the Diteon’s leader appeared across the table from her. She focused on keeping herself as professional as possible. A trying thing since becoming Pathfinder, she had been raised by Alec Ryder. Professionalism had been drilled into her head at a young age, but it was still hard to do it when faced with the Nexus leadership. A small, neutral smile graced her lips as she nodded to Mayor Tate’s holographic projection. He was still as gruff as ever, with possibly more worry lines than when she first met him. Working on Kadara would do that to a person, as it was not the most welcoming of planets given the lure it had to bandits and outlaws. One such outlaw nudged at the edge of her mind, but she pushed away the memory to deal with Mayor Tate.

“Thank you for taking the call Pathfinder. I imagine you have your hands full.” Celeste inclined her head to agree and waited for Tate to continue. Since activating Meridian most of her tasks revolved around settling petty disputes and minor tasks for the outposts. “I’m afraid I may be adding to that full plate. If it’s possible, I’d like you to come meet in person. We may have a situation like what happened on Prodromos brewing here.” Celeste’s stomach roiled as her heart sped up at the memory of the situation Tate referred to, it had been a pure nightmare to deal with. Roekaar attacking an Initiative settlement, technically its first successful, but luckily, they’d had Sites 1 and 2 to detour the assault to. Diteon had nothing like Prodromos did to distract from an assault and the Roekaar were not stupid enough to attack the port in broad daylight and head on. That left Diteon alone to defend itself and the outpost was situated far enough away from the port to be a prime target for Roekaar. Celeste hoped she would get there before any real trouble started brewing.

“We’ll head there immediately Tate. Send word if the situation changes.” Tate agreed and the call ended. Celeste ran a frustrated hand down her face as the stress settled on her shoulders, tightening the muscles unconsciously. She took a fortifying breath to ease the nerves jumping around like frogs in her stomach before she headed straight to the bridge. Kallo was already inputting the destination in the console.

“SAM told us you would be heading to Kadara.” Kallo replied to Celeste’s unspoken question. The Pathfinder nodded and crossed her arms as she stood at the galaxy console. The screen lit up as the calculations were complete for the route to Kadara. Her fingers tugged once again at her shirt as she stared at the planet that floated in front of her vision. Visiting Kadara always brought her nerves up and frayed them, and it was all due to one person in particular. She cursed inwardly at the shake in her hand and shook her fingers to get rid of the nerves. It rarely worked but she had to attempt it anyway. There would be no way she’d face Reyes with nerves in her eyes. Kadara would eat up anyone and Celeste swore it would never have her. Her fingers hovered over the button to confirm their route and she briskly swiped across the console to lock it in as their objective.

“Any idea about what we’ll encounter there Ryder?” Suvi’s calm voice washed over Celeste. Her voice soothed some of the nerves that leapt around Celeste’s belly, and her fingers fell away from the edge of her shirt. The human pathfinder shook her head as she looked over at the science officer. She gave Suvi a small, tight smile to try and not give away her worries.

“No. Tate mentioned it was a situation like what happened in Prodromos. I thought Roekaar activity had died down since Akksul’s mistake in the Forge.” Celeste rubbed the back of her neck as Jaal entered through the door to join her at the galaxy console.

“I have nothing from my contacts in the Resistance. They have kept their eyes open for any Roekaar activity but, as you said, it has died down since the Forge.” He looked down in concern at Celeste. She was always tense when they landed on Kadara, more so after the switch in power at the port, but he could not blame her. The betrayal there cut sharp and it cut deep in her heart, he’d been with her when the Charlatan revealed his identity. That quick intake of breath and flash of pain in her green eyes had done the talking for her, before she’d thrown up the mask of the Pathfinder to deal with Sloane and Reyes. He was not present for how she dealt with him afterwards, but there had been unshed tears in her eyes when she’d come back to Cora and himself. Cora had kept silent and put a hand on his arm to prevent him from saying anything with a quick shake of her head. The few days after the incident were tense in the Tempest as Celeste dealt with the aftermath.

“Could they be going underground? It doesn’t make any sense. The Collective should be keeping Diteon safe, that was my deal with them. In exchange for helping with Sloane my outpost would be safe. Something isn’t right, this goes much deeper than the Roekaar.” Celeste groused as she leaned against the console, her hands resting on the railing and eyes gazing at the stars passing by, unseeing. Her gut was telling her that something big was going down on Kadara, and it was far more than reported Roekaar activity.  
“Perhaps the Collective also has their share of troubles?” Jaal’s careful tone snagged her attention and she gave him a tentative smile.

“I suppose I shouldn’t overthink this. It’s a bad habit of mine.” Jaal chuckled as his eyes shone with amusement. He was concerned for her as a friend, the petite human had grown on him during their travels and she helped him deal with Akksul and reveal how far he’d fallen. All without asking for anything in return. He owed her this.

“Just one of many.” He let out a laugh as Celeste puffed out her cheeks in mock outrage and crossed her arms in irritation. He managed to erase the apprehension from her eyes which was his end goal. “Come, Drack says he made a chocolate cake with, I believe, chocolate and coffee frosting. He mentioned that you said this was one of your favorite foods.” Jaal was talking to air as Celeste bolted at the mention of chocolate cake. It was her favorite food, especially when paired with chocolate coffee frosting. The one comfort food she still indulged in when given the chance, which was rare in Andromeda. She didn’t even care how they acquired the ingredients so long as she got a slice of that cake. She was happily munching on a stolen slice when Kallo announced they were docking at the port. Peebee had been rather disappointed when the plate had been deftly snatched out of her hands, but Ryder’s call over her shoulder had the asari laughing. Finders keepers! The trip to Diteon was uneventful as they landed.

“Mayor Tate.” Celeste grasped the man’s hand in a firm handshake as the group approached him at the outpost. He approved of her solid grip and released her hand to address the situation.

“Ryder, I’ll be honest with you. I was worried your friends in the Collective would be able to trace the call. While we’re grateful for their help in dealing with the occasional Outcast attack, this is something the Initiative needs to deal with on its own.” Celeste nodded in understanding, her concern growing at Tate’s solemn tone. He was always a professional and grizzled man, but this tone was different from normal, it spoke of his deep apprehension at the attacks. “There has been heavy Roekaar activity on the planet. Our scouts have been able to pinpoint it to three locations on Kadara.”

“The Resistance is unaware of such activity.” Jaal piped up from behind Celeste. Tate nodded to the angara and faced him as he spoke. Tate knew the Resistance were fearsome soldiers, but also knew of the collective distaste for Kadara.

“Your Resistance isn’t exactly a heavy presence on Kadara. I’m told by some of the locals that your, what was his name, Evfra has washed his hands of the planet. I’m not surprised the Roekaar decided to form here. No eyes watching them aside from the aliens.” A frustrated sigh escaped Jaal’s lips but he had to agree with Tate. This was a perfect place for Roekaar to form as the only major presence was the Collective and they had their hands full with the Outcasts.

“You say there are three locations that you know of?” Celeste asked Tate to bring the conversation back on topic. The retired soldier nodded and tapped a few buttons on his omni-tool to send the coordinates to Ryder.

“Right. These three locations have had the heaviest activity that we’ve been able to track.” Tate nodded solemnly as Ryder read over the information.

“These are close to Collective territory…” Her voice trailed off as Tate rubbed the back of his neck, sweat beading on his forehead. He nodded once to acknowledge the anxiety in Ryder’s eyes.

“Yeah, seems they’ve been concentrating attacks against the Collective. Rumor has it they’re after the Charlatan, but I can’t confirm that’s their actual goal.” Celeste felt her stomach drop to the floor at the news; she had to be sure they weren’t after the Charlatan. Her heart sped up at the thought of Reyes in danger. No one truly knew who the Charlatan was, apart from a handful of Kadara’s people. She didn’t want to admit it was for a purely selfish reason that she wanted to make sure he was safe.

“Thanks Tate. Keep us informed if there are any movements against Diteon.” He nodded in acknowledgement as he watched the Pathfinder walk out of the door. Celeste turned on her heel towards the exit, lifting a hand to block out the dazzling sunlight as her eyes adjusted to being outside again. The smell of sulfur hit like a truck as she stepped away from the filtered air of the Initiative building. An irritated rumble came from Ryder’s chest and Cora fought hard not to laugh at the annoyed expression on Ryder’s face. The Pathfinder was obviously irritated at having to clean up another mess, but now wasn’t the time to give in to amusement.

“The three locations are Spirit’s Ledge, Kurinth’s Valley, and Haarfel. Let’s investigate Spirit’s Ledge first before the others.” Celeste suggested as the heavy weight settled over her shoulders, they had nothing to go on except scout reports of Roekaar activity. Celeste despised going into a situation blind, but they had no choice. She rolled her shoulders to relieve the tension as she approached the Nomad.

“I still don’t understand how you manage to avoid killing anyone.” Cora called out to Ryder as she tilted her head to match the angle of the Nomad. The vehicle was approximately sitting at a forty-five degree angle, while its front wheels sat on the railings of the walkways between Diteon’s buildings. Her arms crossed as she saw Celeste jump to grab the bottom edge of the Nomad.

“I can already hear Gil.” Jaal murmured to Cora as he stood beside her to watch the spectacle. The short pathfinder struggled to pull herself up in the Nomad, the angle made it just a tad too difficult for her to get up without assistance. Celeste would be damned if she’d ask for help at this point though. With her jump jets she finally grasped the edge of the Nomad, and hauled her weight over the bottom edge of the door to climb inside. The vehicle backed up carefully, the loud crash of it levelling out echoed around the outpost. Both winced at the sharp, metallic scraping sound it made. Gil would be furious again. Celeste opened the doors and scowled at her two friends, silently daring them to comment on her driving.

“Complainers walk.” She reminded them. She’d just turn off the guided steering system which always ended up being an adventure.

“Next time maybe not park the Nomad at such a high angle?” “Perhaps the walkway railing is not such a good parking spot.”

“Oh, we’ve got jokes now do we?” Celeste floored the Nomad and whipped it towards Spirit’s Ledge, her two companions clutching the seats in a death grip, but with laughter bubbling out.

The building was decimated, only the charred frame remained. A jarring black skeleton against the Kadara sky, a brutal reminder of what had transpired. Celeste let out a vicious curse when they saw the wreckage and surrounding area. The trio climbed out of the Nomad in stunned silence as they went over to the building. SAM had done a quick scan of the area since they were within proximity.

“There are no life signs present Pathfinder.” SAM’s voice jolted Celeste out of her reverie as she observed the devastation of the surrounding area. It was a nightmarish scene, scorched earth, the smell of gunpowder heavy in the air, and charred corpses strewn on the ground.

“Are these bodies Collective, Outcast, or angaran? I can’t even tell.” Cora muttered as she knelt next to one of the bodies, the armor fused to flesh from the heat of the explosive. Any features were obliterated by whatever demolished the building. The shape of the body suggested human, but that wasn’t a given considering the depth of the damage.

“The bodies are too badly deteriorated to determine what or who they are from facial recognition. I can provide DNA analysis if you wish Ryder.” Celeste gave the approval for SAM to use the analysis. The only sound was the scrap of boots against charred earth as they carefully made their way to the building. “Pathfinder, the corpses belong to Collective members and angara. I could not detect any known Outcast personnel in the bodies.” SAM felt Ryder’s frustration although he could not quite understand it. Her heart jumped in alarm and SAM switched to their private channel. _Reyes Vidal is not among the corpses._

“Thank you, SAM.,” After a thorough search of the ruined building, they came up empty-handed. The angara bodies couldn’t even tell them if they were Roekaar or local, the damage was to the armor was too great. The Roekaar generally were better armored than local angara, but it was too wrecked to see any detail on the armor.

“On to the second location?” Cora suggested as she looked over at the Pathfinder. Celeste’s eyes searched the area, her brow furrowing in worry. Something or someone was watching them. She knew it. The hairs on the back of her neck stood in alarm as she felt eyes on her, and the feeling was as if she’d submerged in cold omni-gel.

“Kurinth’s Valley.” Ryder climbed into the Nomad as they headed towards the site. Cora and Jaal discussed their findings.

“Jaal, what do you think happened?” Cora kept one eye on Celeste out of worry, the Pathfinder was unusually silent.

“Roekaar are not known for burning the bodies of their enemies. That does not convey the message they want to spread.” Jaal explained to Cora. “They want the Initiative and other factions to know they are a threat to be considered. It makes no sense they’d hide their handiwork, pardon my phrasing, by burning the bodies.” Jaal grimaced as he contemplated the possibilities of the attack. Cora nodded in agreement, that scene hardly fit with the Roekaar they’d met so far. Ryder’s hands tightened on the steering of the Nomad as she listened, shoulders stiffened as the thoughts whirled through her mind. Nothing was fitting like it should, she agreed that Roekaar wouldn’t burn bodies. Though she couldn’t say that Outcasts would do that either, as it didn’t strike her as their handiwork either. What the hell is going on in Kadara?

Kurinth’s Valley was more of the same. The bodies were burnt beyond recognition, though SAM could tell that Outcast personnel were counted among the dead. Ryder didn’t know if that comforted her, but it certainly added yet another confusing element to the mix. Now they had Collective, Outcast, and Roekaar all fighting with each other and destroying buildings in their wake.

“Last location was Haarfel. That’s close to Kadara Port, and I don’t like it.” Cora was reflecting upon the ramifications of what they’d found. Her knuckles were white as her fists clenched tightly against her thighs. Jaal was pensively quiet as Celeste piloted the Nomad to Haarfel. An uncomfortable silence descended upon the trio, each lost in their own thoughts about what happened. The little valley was close to Kadara Port like Cora mentioned, and they’d had some skirmished in the location in the past. A heavy sigh blew past her lips as they rolled up to the last location.

“And another scorched building left to rot.” Celeste grumbled in irritation as they saw the wreckage and bodies strewn over the blood-soaked soil. _I swear it’s genetic. I never catch a flipping break!_

“Pathfinder, I detect the presence of a data pad in the building.” SAM’s voice brought everyone up short.

“We actually got lucky?” Disbelief colored Celeste’s voice as the party headed up to the door of the building. “Sealed. Well, shit.” Celeste looked for a way to open the door but it wasn’t budging. Frustration welled up within Celeste’s chest at always coming up to a dead end.

“Maybe we can turn on the power?” Cora looked around the doorframe for a circuit panel.

“Inadvisable. The fire that destroyed the building rendered the circuits unserviceable.” SAM informed Cora. The biotic huntress huffed in irritation as they were stuck now. A loud clang, alarming in the eerie silence, echoed in the valley. Cora jolted in surprise as Jaal turned around to see what had happened; he’d been examining one of the bodies. They both saw Celeste with her boot hovering in the air, after having dealt a solid blow to the metal.

“Pathfinder Ryder, kicking the door is unwise. There is the likelihood you will harm your foot before the door moves. Also I have done a scan of the building and there are structural damages that could be compromised by committing violence against it.” SAM advised Ryder who kicked one more time out of sheer pigheadedness, and the door creaked ominously before it fell backwards with a deafening crash. Surprised silence settled over everyone, with Celeste’s mouth dropping open at the door falling. Even SAM was surprised that her kicking worked.

“Well, I guess the fire weakened its structural integrity?” Ryder asked in reluctant amusement with her shoulders shrugging in an attempt at humor. She’d just been mad and had kicked the door at their bad luck again, blaming genetically inherited bad luck, when the door had fallen in. Not the most mature response, but Celeste was hardly one to make excuses for her faults, or for dealing with the frustration that came with this shit situation in a more productive way.

“That seems the most logical explanation.” SAM’s voice was just a tad bit annoyed as they headed into the building. “Be advised that kicking the door may have compromised the building’s structure further.” The group paused at the entrance to consider this, but pressed on as the data pad was worth the inherent danger.

“Here it is.” Ryder saw the blackened tablet, with a dim flickering orange light, on the table. Her fingers wiped the soot off the screen and saw the flashing script on the screen. “Battery looks drained.”

“Let’s take it back to the Tempest and see what Gil and SAM can do with it.” Cora suggested. The threatening creak of the building as the wind blew gently against it silenced their conversation. The three paused for one comical moment before they scrambled out of the building and cleared the door by mere seconds when the sides of the building collapsed behind them. Heart thudding in her ears, Celeste stared down at the data pad in her hand. She prayed it was worth what they’d gone through and had information to give them the next step. The group headed back to the Tempest afterwards with little else to deter them, save for a skirmish with some local scavengers who though the Nomad was a worthy piece of scrap.

“So, there was nothing?” Celeste asked incredulously as Gil brought it back to her, he grimaced at the look of frustration that passed over Ryder’s face. He wished he had better news for her.

“Sorry Ryder. The data pad had been intentionally wiped before whatever levelled that building. That much I can tell you.” Gil smacked his hand against the tablet screen. “There was only three words we could pull from what was left.”

“What were they?”

“You are not going to like this. But keep in mind, these are just words. SAM and I got Charlatan, alliance, Roekaar, and Pathfinder from it.” Gil handed Celeste the tablet, and nearly took a step back as rage lit her jade green eyes. “Look it doesn’t make any sense. Maybe try to think of it objectively? I know it’s difficult when it comes to Reyes.” Gil patted her shoulder before he went back to the drive core room, and away from the rage that boiled inside of Celeste. He almost pitied the person who tried to target the Pathfinder, they’d learn that Ryder was no one’s punching bag despite her attempts at diplomacy before fighting. He’d seen how she’d dealt with betrayal before.

Celeste knew it didn’t make any sense. Reyes would never work for the Roekaar nor would he get into an alliance with them, it would throw away all the effort and work he’d put in with the Resistance. SAM felt the conflict rise within Celeste and puzzled over it. He worried for Celeste’s wellbeing when it came to the Charlatan, he feared Celeste would not be as rationale as usual when it came to the man. A dull ache throbbed at the base of her skull as she headed to her quarters to speak to SAM.

“Perhaps we should let the crew weigh in as well Pathfinder?” SAM asked her. Outside perspective would certainly do little to make it worse.

“Yeah. Let’s go talk to them.” Celeste agreed and headed to the meeting room. Everyone joined her after she’d explained the situation to them over comms and Celeste explained what they’d found.

“I’m not Reyes’s biggest fan but this doesn’t sound like him at all.” Vetra rolled her shoulders in unease at the news, she knew Reyes would never do something like align himself with the Roekaar. Not after he’d worked his ass off building the Collective and fighting the Roekaar.

“Yeah, he may be the Charlatan but even I don’t see him working with Roekaar. I don’t even see the Roekaar becoming allies with a human, don’t they want to kill us all? So why would they align themselves with one of us?” Liam pointed out as he leaned against the meeting room railing with his leg propped up. He looked at Celeste who was having a difficult time with this. He knew how she felt about Reyes and this could not sit well with her.

“Why not just go and ask Reyes? Seems he owes you for letting him take over Kadara.” Drack suggested as everyone stared at him in amazement. “What?” Drack rolled his shoulders defensively at the blank looks from most of the crew.

“That’s actually a good idea. Let’s do what Drack suggested.” Cora had her arms crossed as she stood next to Ryder. “Likely, Reyes will be angry that someone is trying to frame him and ruin his reputation by affiliating him with the Roekaar.” Celeste nodded at her words and communicated to Kallo they’d be getting off in Kadara Port again. Kallo confirmed and the Pathfinder headed towards the airlock as Kallo docked at the port again.

“Celeste, do you want one of us with you?” Vetra’s voice laced with concern as she looked at the pathfinder’s stiff back.

“No. Best I do this by myself. I’ll call if I need help.” Celeste told Vetra, and the turian sighed in defeat. She knew there was no talking the stubborn human into taking one of them with her, she liked her privacy when dealing with Reyes. Celeste took the lift down to the slums to visit Tartarus. She stared up at the flashing neon signs that set the nightclub apart from the rest of the slums.

Her stomach jumped in nervous anticipation as she stepped in to the nightclub. The throbbing of the bass rocked through her whole body, and the dancers behind the bars beckoned invitingly to her as she passed them. She took a deep breath as she paused outside of the door to Reyes’s private room. Her heart beat rapidly at the thought of seeing Reyes again, Celeste pushed her hand against her chest in a vain attempt to calm it. _Easy Celeste, you’ve dealt with him a million times before. Okay, maybe not a million but it sure seems that way._ A tap of her omni-tool and the door slid open. A greeting fell flat on her lips as she walked into the room. Celeste could almost hear his sinuous voice as he greeted her like usual, but silence greeted her instead.

The room was empty.


	2. Whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste is on a hunt for Reyes but gets distracted by finding out what happened in Collective Headquarters. Things get shelved as she has to focus on this matter.

Chapter Two: **Whispers**

“What do you mean he’s not there?” Cora demanded over the comm channel with Ryder. Her brow furrowed in concern as she stared down at the omni-tool, knowing Ryder would be out of sorts with the knowledge that Reyes was gone. One of them should have gone with Celeste, despite any protests.

“He’s gone Cora. G-O-N-E. I checked Draullir but they aren’t letting anyone in right now thanks to the Collective being targeted. They think the Initiative is suspect!” Ryder looked miffed as she crossed her arms. _After all the bullshit I had to do for them, they think that I would hurt the Collective? Stupid._ Outrage stiffened her shoulders and Cora heard the slight hitch in Celeste’s voice as she spoke about Reyes being gone. Celeste could hardly blame them, despite the hurt feelings. They were circling the wagons now. Cora knew Celeste was doing her best to keep her emotions in check, but also knew the level of pain Celeste was going through. Though she put on a pretty face, Cora knew that Celeste still cared deeply for Reyes. It was tough being who she was and who he was. Torn between two worlds and Celeste had chosen.

“Well doesn’t he have any allies you can call upon?”

“I haven’t gotten in to see Keema yet. Kian is refusing to talk about Reyes at all, especially with the Pathfinder.” Celeste grumbled as worry churned in her gut. The fact Reyes had specifically included her in the ones to not be blown off stung. The hurt radiated over her chest as she forced herself to think of other things.

“Go and speak with Keema before you get too worried. Reyes is laying low, and I don’t blame him. The Charlatan is being targeted after all.” Cora reminded her as Ryder nodded in reluctant agreement at the wisdom in her words.

“You’re right. Thanks for grounding me Cora. I’ll go see if I can get in to see Keema now.” Ryder slumped her shoulders in frustration as she pushed at her stubborn hair in a hopeless attempt to keep it out of her face. She always swore she’d cut it but never did, the memory of that sensual, husky voice complimenting the color always stopped her. She didn’t want to analyze why it was that Reyes would be the one to stop her from cutting it. Celeste closed her eyes tightly to shake the memory from her mind, a she needed to go back into the throne room of Kadara Port and speak to Keema about the disappearance of their mutual friend.

She spun on her boot and stomped out of the cave where the Collective hid, the operatives watching the Pathfinder leave with suspicion in their eyes. They’d been unable to hear Ryder’s conversation, but the stiff set of her shoulders told them plenty. Her footsteps echoed through the caves as she strode out, leaving only a trace of the fiery scent she wore on the air. His lieutenant looked over at the shadows.

“Are you sure this is the right thing boss?” The single nod from the figure was all the answer she’d get from him. The Charlatan was careful to not have anyone but a few trusted individuals know who he was, and every single person knew how hot his fury could burn when betrayed. That was enough to keep her and the other few in line, but it seemed the Pathfinder was the exception. Though she kept his identity secret from the Initiative, Crux wondered how long it would take before she spilled the news. After all Reyes did not have a way to keep the Pathfinder in line like his followers. Crux looked over at the shadows again, but her boss was already gone. Slipped away like smoke in the wind.

“Pathfinder Ryder, what a pleasure to see you again.” Keema’s warm voice greeted Ryder as she strolled up to the throne. Frankincense and a citrus Ryder couldn’t place was permeating the air of the vast room. The combination was strangely relaxing, which was the intention. Celeste’s frustrated dark green eyes met Keema’s calm blue ones and Keema instantly sensed Celeste’s reason for visiting.

“Keema.” Ryder inclined her head in respect and acknowledgement. Keema dismissed her underlings with a wave of the hand. The angaran woman stood up and looked down at Ryder with gentle, assessing eyes. Celeste refused to back down from the gaze and Keema must have seen something she liked, as she gifted Ryder with a rare smile. It was a genuine smile instead of the false platitudes normally reserved for visitors.

“Ryder, it is good to see you again. I wasn’t just saying that you know. Now I suspect you are here because our mutual friend is missing?”

“Well, yes. That and the whole Roekaar are attacking the Collective.” Celeste threw out there as she saw Keema’s eyes widen and lips part in surprise.

“Roekaar? Attacking the Collective?” Keema looked at the Pathfinder who passed along the Initiative scout reports and what she’d found herself. Keema studied it and her face flushed a deep purple as a burning rage filled her body. “This is outrageous. No one told me about this! They target my people as well as yours!” Keema clenched her fists as the burning in her chest spread to her gut, she whipped her head towards the door. She bellowed for the guards and followers to get back in the throne room.

“Why was I not informed that Roekaar were on Kadara? And that they were attacking Collective members?” The assistants and guards paled in the face of Keema’s rage, she was just as feared as Reyes was to those who knew who knew the Charlatan. Keema was not known for her temper, but when it flared, it burned as a thousand hot pokers did. Quick, sometimes deadly, and left permanent scars. Wary looks passed between them before one brave soul stepped forward.

“Keema, we had orders to keep this quiet. The orders stated that no one is to know, we assumed they came from you.” Keema pinned him with a look filled with such icy fury that he felt his knees shake. Sweat formed on his face as Keema waited until the door shut before she turned on him. His eyes turned to the Pathfinder who only crossed her arms, she would give him no help. “Believe me Keema, none of us wanted to hide it from you. The Charlatan gave orders for the Collective to band together when it became clear the Roekaar were attacking us.” He held up his hands defensively in front of his face, praying Keema would show mercy. Keema had him tossed out of the room while she snarled in frustrated rage.

Celeste looked around at the throne room while a dull throbbing began behind her eyes. The Pathfinder stepped up to stand beside the angaran woman as they stared out the window. Keema was jolted from her thoughts as Celeste laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Pardon me Pathfinder. I fear I am out of sorts at the moment.”

“I would be the same, was the same. We found out because of Diteon scouts. And now the Collective suspects the Initiative has something to do with this, so believe me, I can understand the frustration.” Ryder saw Keema’s anger drain away and only fatigue remain. A bone-weary fatigue that settled in the bones, and Celeste was more than familiar with that state of being.

“I need to check on something Pathfinder. Perhaps you will join me?” Keema inquired as Celeste agreed. Killing Celeste would serve no benefit to Keema, and the Pathfinder believed Keema was a bottom line person. Keema lead her through the entrance and to the right. Celeste’s eyes narrowed as she realized they were headed down to the cells, she’d help to free the Resistance traitor from that very place not too long ago. Quick, curious eyes glanced over to Keema as she dismissed the guards quickly with a flick of her wrist. They entered the room and Keema let out a vicious curse in Shelesh.

“Keema?” Celeste looked around the angaran woman and saw the cells were empty. Anger boiled slowly in Celeste as she saw the empty cells, devoid of their sole prisoner. “Where is Kaetus?” The words were bitten off as rage churned in Celeste’s stomach, the Pathfinder struggled to leash her temper.

“That is something I wish to know as well.” Keema ground out the words as she turned on her foot, roaring heatedly for the guards. “Where is the prisoner?” She snarled savagely as the guards looked frantically at each other. None of the guards knew where the prisoner was, and that only made it worse for them. Keema looked over her shoulder at Celeste. “Pathfinder, it seems I need to clean house. Would you pardon me while I deal with this matter?” Her voice was level and calm but her eyes told Celeste that the house cleaning would not be a pleasant experience for anyone.

Celeste gave Keema a small bow of her head and left the room without a look back as the guards’ eyes filled with terror. The door snapped shut quietly behind Celeste as she headed towards the exit and the sounds from the room were muffled behind her. Celeste wanted to feel bad, wanted to feel some empathy for the guards, but her give a damn was busted to hell and back. After all the shit she’d been through since landing on Habitat 7, she just couldn’t dredge up sympathy for guards that let a known enemy of the Initiative and Collective escape without so much as a peep. No doubt the guards were bribed or threatened in some manner. Her footsteps reverberated throughout the corridor as Celeste turned towards the exit of the Collective’s headquarters. Her dark red hair sailed behind her as she opened the door to the marketplace, watching the activity with guarded eyes.

“Pathfinder, were you able to get what you needed from Keema?” Celeste looked down at her omni-tool as she answered the call from her second in command.

“No. Turns out we have even more crap to deal with now. I’ll tell you when I get back to the Tempest.” Celeste walked towards the docks, ignoring bustle of activity in the marketplace. A sense of being watched settled on her shoulders, raising up the hairs on the back of her neck in unease, and her head whipped around to scan the immediate area. Nothing was out of place but Celeste knew that assuming Kadara Port was safe was akin to having a death wish. Nothing was as it seemed in the port. SAM scanned the area but he didn’t recognize any of the biometrics in the area. None matched known associates or known enemies of the Pathfinder. He detected Collective members but that was a given for the marketplace.

 _Pathfinder, I am unable to detect anyone familiar in our general vicinity._ SAM’s voice rolled through Ryder’s mind. The suddenness of it always gave Celeste a jolt, no matter how long they’d had their symbiotic relationship. Ryder’s shoulders fell as frustration bubbled in her as she couldn’t see anyone either, she had to figure someone from the Collective was keeping an eye on her. Still, a tiny voice in the back of her mind warned her not to be too trusting. Something menacing was out there, watching her. She could almost feel the shadow of the jaws behind her, the open maw ready to snatch her up the moment her guard dropped. A quick shake of her head cleared those thoughts. The image wouldn’t leave her mind, and she turned back towards the docking bay doors with dread chilling her blood.

“Let’s go SAM.” Celeste proceeded to the docks where the Tempest was docked. “We’ll have to give up on finding Reyes for now. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.” Celeste heard SAM’s agreement as they made it back to the Tempest. A single figure stepped out of the maintenance shaft with eyes alight with glee. It was difficult to hide from SAM’s superior scanning abilities, but it didn’t seem to be impossible. This information was filed away in his mind as he slid back into the shadows.

“Hey kid, what’d you find out? Cora told us we got a shit storm brewing.” Drack’s rough voice greeted Ryder as she exited the airlock. Celeste nodded and Drack followed her as they headed to the meeting room.

“Yeah, to sum it up nicely. Kaetus escaped the jail cell that Keema had him in.” Celeste remembered the turian’s promise to get vengeance for Sloane’s death. Celeste had made the split-second decision to put her trust in Reyes. Sloane had betrayed the Initiative once during the uprising, and Ryder couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t do it again. Diteon would pose too tempting a target for the Outcasts, and so Celeste had stepped aside and let the sniper kill Sloane. That had no bearing on her telling Reyes she would never trust him again and that they were through. The lies had cut too deep and hurt burned in her throat as she kept the tears furiously leashed. The memory of her words still sent sharp pain into her heart, and she absently rubbed her chest as she remembered it. The jagged little pieces of her words cut deep, like tiny shards of glass that couldn’t be plucked out of an open wound.

“Well shit. That does muddy things up good. Makes sense why Reyes would hide.” Drack commented as he walked up the ramp beside Celeste.

“Yeah. I don’t know if Kaetus knows Reyes is the Charlatan or if he believes Keema is. That’s the part I don’t like. Not to mention the Roekaar attacks which were kept from Keema.” Celeste griped as the other crew members came up to the top of the ramp. Jaal heard that the last bit and worry settled on his shoulders like a lead weight that he couldn’t shake.

“Does Reyes not trust Keema?” Jaal inquired. Liam snorted and Cora sighed as she pictured the argument that was sure to follow. Vetra opened her mouth to answer.

“I don’t think Reyes trusts anyone in the world. Except maybe our own Pathfinder.” Vetra gave a meaningful glance at Celeste, who sent the turian a warning glare. It told her don’t go there.

“If he trusts me as you say, then why don’t I know where he is?” Celeste pointed out defensively. She tried not to let the hurt show, she wasn’t anything but an asset to Reyes at this point. The reason he got to keep Kadara Port, and there was absolutely no reason why she would be included in his trusted inner circle. “Besides, we need to work on the Roekaar and Kaetus issues. We know Kaetus has a vendetta against the Initiative.” The holographic image of Kaetus was projected in the middle of the group as SAM replayed what he’d told Ryder.

“Sloane should have killed you the day we met.” The venom and sheer hatred resonated throughout the meeting room. The image flickered as SAM skipped over some of their conversation. “You’d better hope the Charlatan kills me Ryder. Because if I ever get out of here.” Kaetus trailed off but the implied meaning was clear to everyone in the room. It still sent chills down her spine, months after the conversation took place. The icy rage she’d seen in those eyes had sent her a clear message.

“Ryder. He wants you dead.” Suvi murmured quietly, shock heavy in her tone, as she looked at her friend.

“I know. He basically implied he wants me dead, but I don’t think he’ll be satisfied with killing me. I’ll likely be made an example of. And that makes me even more worried now that we know he’s out there loose.” Celeste calmly pointed out. Suvi looked ill as the possibilities ran through her head. Celeste was so calm while speaking of torture, it was unnerving for the science officer. “SAM, I know we can’t do a planet wide scan but do we have any potential hiding spots for Kaetus?” Their priority had to be Kaetus instead of the Roekaar now. The Roekaar were always a threat, but they tended to be more generalized when attacking the aliens. Kaetus would have a main goal in mind: Celeste Ryder, human Pathfinder of the Andromeda Initiative.

“I can begin compiling a list and scanning Pathfinder.” SAM responded and Celeste told him to go ahead and start. Drack looked over at Celeste who had that look he had named the Pathfinder mask. He was concerned about her health, despite his gruff exterior he’d grown close to the human. After that bar fight in Kralla’s Song, Drack had a newfound respect for the tiny human as she’d taken out just as many guys as he had. Lexi had given them both an earful afterwards as half of Celeste’s face had been purple and swelling, pretty sure the kid had cracked a few ribs too. Celeste had just grinned through the pain at Lexi and pointed out that she hadn’t died that time. Drack had laughed until he was sure he’d cracked a rib, the pain had implied he had. Lexi had grumbled and patched them both up, giving them the lecture about acting their ages.

“I don’t want to scour Kadara!” Ryder burst out in frustration. She’d had quite enough of scouring planets for some piece of technology or person.

“Well, at least it’s not Elaaden.” Liam pointed out as Ryder turned furious green eyes to him. He brought up a valid point as Celeste would much rather avoid the intense heat of Elaaden. The vault had made it manageable but she was still not the biggest fan of the desert planet.

“Okay it’s not Elaaden and the water doesn’t kill you if you touch it anymore, but it’s still Kadara! At least with Elaaden all I had to deal with was the heat. Scavengers were easy to avoid if you didn’t want to deal with them. Kadara doesn’t have that much room for maneuverability.” Celeste grumbled as she thought of all the shit she’d be going through with this search and the pile that was sure to follow as they continued. First it was just a threat against Diteon, then the Charlatan, and now it was her. Nothing was ever simple, not since her dad thrust the role of the Pathfinder on her on Habitat 7.

“Heh, at least on Elaaden you don’t have to worry about someone stabbing you in the back.” Drack pointed out. “Scenery’s better too.”

“Drack, I’m not going to care about looking at a cliff versus miles of sand. I just want to take a vacation.” Ryder waved her hands in front of her.

“I should inform you that you are not eligible for vacation days for another 522 days Pathfinder.” SAM’s voice echoed through the meeting room.

“Yes, thank you SAM.” Celeste’s voice dripped sarcasm. Liam fought hard not to laugh, Jaal was confused but beginning to see the humor in it, and Drack held the table as he laughed deep belly laughs. Vetra snorted, which was surprising as Celeste wasn’t sure turians even could snort, while Cora held a fist to her lips to cover up her chuckles. Peebee was hunched over, peals of laughter echoing throughout the meeting room.

“Laugh it up. None of you are eligible for vacations until I am either!” Celeste pointed out as Drack piped up that he was not affiliated with the Initiative officially and could take a damn vacation when he wanted. Peebee echoed his sentiment.

“Pathfinder, I have compiled a list of possible locations for Kaetus. These are reported sightings of a turian that matches Kaetus’ description from locals in the badlands.” SAM sent the information to Celeste’s omni-tool.

“Well, let’s get started. Who is with me?” Celeste asked as Jaal and Cora stepped forward first.

“We’re all with you Pathfinder.” Liam patted her shoulder as he went out to investigate possible leads in the marketplace. Vetra promised to use her contacts to keep an eye on the situation and see if any information about the Roekaar or Kaetus could be found. Drack would keep an ear out for rumors in Kralla’s Song, and Peebee would look out for unusual activity in the marketplace. She could see a lot from her perch on the second floor.

“Thanks. Let’s go investigate these sightings.” Celeste told Jaal and Cora. They headed out of the Tempest and down to the badlands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went back and made some edits to this chapter from the original. Masks and Lies was the original title for this work but it started going into a darker route, so I wanted to get a name change to match where it was going.


	3. Illusions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste chose to focus on finding Kaetus. She uncovers an email that shows the Outcasts and Roekaar are looking for the Charlatan, but what does she lose when she finds it?

Chapter Three: _Illusions_

Celeste looked up at the prefab where Kaetus was last seen. Just one of many locations that SAM compiled. Her senses sharpened as she scanned the area, muscles poised ready for a fight. Every instinct screamed that something was not right. The hair on the back of her neck in alarm as her hand drifted to her Eagle, nestled in the hip holster, fingers twitching over the smooth back of the pistol. The space was quiet, and that worried the Pathfinder. It was _too_ quiet.

“Do you feel like we’re being watched?” Cora inquired as she stepped up to Celeste’s side.

“There’s no doubt something or someone is.” Celeste groused as she looked over the seemingly abandoned building and outcroppings. There was no sign of any life, but Celeste knew better than to make assumptions. “SAM.”

 _There are life signs within the outer buildings Pathfinder. I detect the presence of angara._ Celeste inclined her head as he gave her numbers and relayed the information to Cora and Jaal. The N7 Eagle slid easily out of the holster with a soft click, its weight comforting in her hand. Cora’s hand glimmered with blue light as her biotics primed for an attack. They had to be cautious as SAM was unable to tell if the angara were friendly or Roekaar, but waiting had never been Celeste’s style. She left the safety of the cover and crept towards the outer building, using the natural rock formations for cover as she went. The grip on her pistol tightened as she checked for movement.

 _Pathfinder, there are anti-personnel mines near your location. Proceed with caution._ Biting back an expletive, Celeste brought up her scanner to find the damn things. This was a delay she did not need, but she managed to locate the mines in her immediate area. Not an easy navigable path, but that had never stopped her before. _Look before you leap._ A smile tugged at her lips as she remembered her mother saying something like that when she and Ryan had been little pests, jumping off anything and everything.

Adrenaline pumped through her system as she carefully made her way to the outer building. Her body felt light and coiled tight as a spring. Her heart hammered against her chest as she kept her eyes on the path, glancing up every now and then to check for enemies approaching. The hairs on her arms lifted as the door slid open, Celeste dove, in a slight panic, for the side of the veranda, crouching down to stay out of view. The angaran male stood just outside the door of the room, Celeste was so close she could almost hear him breathe. His head turned to inspect the area for suspicious activity. Luckily Celeste had left the Nomad out of sight, thanks to the rocks jutting from the ground. Her gut tightened as he looked in her direction, sweat slid down her back as she saw his hands tighten on the assault rifle. Hope that he hadn’t seen her bubbled up inside her as she really didn’t want to deal with a firefight. Her entire body went rigid, heart hammering against her ribcage, as her finger slid over the trigger of her pistol. The angaran turned as someone called out from the room behind him, he went back inside with a shake of his head. Celeste felt her entire body melt onto the ground as relief swamped her. The pistol fell to her side, her finger sliding off the trigger.

 _Pathfinder, exercise caution. I believe these to be Roekaar._ Celeste ground her teeth as she felt the frustration well up in her again. A fire fight was not something she wanted to engage in at all, not when Jaal and Cora were still so far behind her. She cursed her impulsiveness at times, and this was one of them. _Great going Ryder, now what are we going to do? Engage a room full of Roekaar by myself?_ Celeste mentally groused as she looked up at the door from her position. Options weighed in her mind and she decided to go for the simplest. Cluster them together and throw a grenade, simple but effective. Celeste wondered if they’d be guilible enough to fall for it. The rock went sailing at the door before she could change her mind. She ducked as the metallic clang echoed throughout the vicinity. Jaal and Cora paused in their advance to Ryder’s position, and looked at one another with identical expressions of disbelief on their faces. Celeste wouldn’t be that impulsive… Then they realized who they were thinking about and sped up as much as safely possible through the mines.

The Roekaar rushed out of the building, weapons raised and bodies tensed for battle, shouting in Shelesh. Celeste slid the grenade through the small gap between the railing and floor of the walkway. The grenade rolled until it hit one of the Roekaar’s boots. His head jerked down and saw the ominous flashing crimson light. An oath escaped his lips before the grenade exploded, killing him and the three angara next to him. Celeste scrambled out of the way as soon as she released the grenade.

“The Pathfinder!” One of the Roekaar roared as he spotted the Initiative armor scuttling away from the building.

“Crap.” Her eyes were wide with surprise as she sprang from her hiding spot, heading away from the Roekaar and their line of fire. She leapt behind one of the kinetic barriers the Roekaar had strategically placed around their hideout. Bullets whizzed by her head, a sharp whistle that never failed to make her stomach jump. She tapped a few buttons on her omni-tool to bring out the assault turret. Celeste sprang to her feet and threw the turret out towards the Roekaar before she took cover once again. A few of the bullets had struck her while she threw out the turret, but her shields had absorbed the damage. The whirring sound of the turret’s gears as it popped open and trained its fire on the enemy was heard over the chaos of bullets. The bright orange link appeared on her wrist, the one upgrade she gladly accepted from Gil. She could repair her turret so long as it was within range, which helped keep a lot of fire off of her.

“Ryder!” Cora’s voice rang out over the noise of the bullets and grenades.

“I’m fine!!” Celeste yelled back as she popped up to fire a few rounds from the Eagle. Another grenade went flying and she watched as the Roekaar panicked when the explosive stuck to him. The sound of fire abruptly ceased and an unnatural silence descended. Celeste had sweat dripping down her back as her breath was coming out in harsh, shallow, rapid pants. Adrenaline was still pumping through her blood as she looked over the barrier and saw not a single Roekaar remained standing.

“Come on out Ryder. Area is clear.” Cora called out as Celeste stood up. The turret closed itself up and went back to Celeste’s omni-tool. Her boots crunched over scorched earth as she made her way to the entrance of the main building.

“I detect a terminal nearby Pathfinder.” SAM’s voice rang out in the sudden silence, giving Celeste’s heart a small shock. Jaal kicked over one of the bodies but he didn’t recognize the angara. Cora followed Celeste into the building as they searched out the terminal.

“Here it is.” Celeste muttered as she saw the small computer terminal. She stroked a few keys and lit up the screen. “Not even password protected? Well, someone needs to fire the IT guy..” Celeste clucked her tongue in disapproval. The emails on the screen brought up the Charlatan. Celeste’s heart sped up and a sharp pain lanced through it..

_This is a list of names compiled for possible Charlatan identities. I doubt Keema Dohgrun is truly the Charlatan, it is too obvious. The Charlatan has been anything but obvious.  
-Umi Henon (Not Umi, too well known for her to be the Charlatan)  
-Dr. Nakamoto (Not Nakamoto, can’t get to Diteon anyway)  
-Crux  
-Keema Dohgrun  
\- “Dr. Farenth”_

“Ryder, they’re trying to figure out who the Charlatan is.” Cora sucked in a breath as she read the names listed on the terminal. Cora was relieved to read they couldn’t get to Diteon, though she suspected that was because of the Collective and the fear the Pathfinder would rain down vengeance on them.

“It would have to be someone working within the Collective. How else could they get this kind of information?” Worry gnawed at her as she tried to figure out what could have happened. Kaetus had to be the one behind it all. She knew he wanted revenge on her and the Charlatan, but it would frustrate him that he couldn’t find the Charlatan. He may give up on that end and just focus his efforts on Celeste, and that unnerved her enough to take a step back mentally.

“It does not mention Reyes as a possibility. Their informant is either a double agent or incompetent at their job.” Jaal waved a hand impatiently at the terminal as he scoffed.

“We should show this to Keema.” Celeste downloaded the information quickly and had SAM wipe the terminal. Celeste turned on her heel when the smell hit her nose. The sickeningly sweet smell that sent her heart at a gallop as panic ripped through her system. The cloying smell that clogged her lungs with panic. She opened her mouth to yell out a warning when the click echoed throughout the room. A fireball of massive magnitude came rolling at them, the deafening sound of it slammed against Celeste’s ears. She held up her hands defensively in front of her face as the fireball crashed into their group, the heat searing even through the shields and armor.


	4. Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerise receives a shocking transmission from Diteon after just barely surviving a fireball. What is going on in Kadara?

Chapter Four: **Shadows**

The sense of not being burnt to a crisp slowly chipped through the wall shock in Celeste’s brain and her arms dropped in surprise. The indigo sphere of light surrounded them as the fire subsided inside the room, leaving behind charred remains of the furniture. Cora’s arms trembled with the effort to keep the barrier in place, heart still galloping inside her chest. It had been an instinctive reflex, one which they were all grateful for.

“What. The. Hell. Was. That?” Celeste bit off each word in barely contained fury as the barrier dissipated. Cora let her arms down, her muscles shaking from the exertion of keeping the barrier in place against a raging inferno as well as the adrenaline. Jaal put his hand on Cora’s shoulder, the worry lighting his eyes. “Cora, are you all right?” Celeste asked in concern as she saw the sweat trickling down Cora’s ashen face. After taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Cora nodded.

“I’m fine Ryder. Are you two alright?”

“Singed but otherwise fine. You got the barrier up just in the nick of time.” Celeste looked at the soot covering her arms and knew there was most likely some on her face as well. She silently cursed the urge she’d given into to take off her helmet once they entered the building. “Let’s get out of here.” The party headed out of the room, assessing the damage as they went. Celeste sighed in resignation at the sight of her Initiative Recon helmet, it had been blown across the room from the force of the detonation and was now fused to the floor.

“Well, the terminal’s busted now.” Cora swept a hand towards what remained of the terminal, charred and melted, in the corner. A few sizzling sparks flew up from the exposed circuits, but its screen had been liquefied by the fireball.

“Good thing we got what we needed before the explosion.” Celeste sighed as the door wouldn’t open. She huffed in irritation as the door was not budging. _No kicking this time Celeste._ Her fingers slid over the blackened metal, searching for the connecting seam. Muscles screamed as she planted her feet to give her better leverage as she pulled upwards with a grunt of effort. Jaal moved to her left and put his hands next to hers. A soft rumble of exertion passed his lips as he added his strength to hers. Cora joined them after a moment and the door slid open with their combined efforts.

“No kicking the door this time Ryder?” Cora teased as they walked out. Laughter erupted from her lips at the scorching glare Celeste sent her. Jaal had to cover his mouth with his hand to muffle his chuckle. The Pathfinder did not look so dignified now. Her armguards looked charred from the explosion, a black grime covered the once pristine white and blue armor, and she had a large black band streaking down her cheek. The hair that escaped from the under-armor suit stuck to her damp forehead. Combined with the look of sheer annoyance in her eyes, she made a comical picture standing there beside them.

“Pathfinder, it appears this was a remote detonation.” SAM reported. “I reported to the Tempest that you are unharmed.” Celeste could only imagine the panic the crew had experienced when the fireball had rolled over them. The alarms in her implant would have sent out a report to the Tempest. Lexi would no doubt have some words for her when they got back to the ship. Celeste rubbed her hand over her face, and saw the traces of soot on her fingers. She remembered the grime on the door and it dawned on her that she had just smeared it on her face. Dark thoughts descended as she grumbled about being stupid. She had just so much else to worry about that this pissed her off more. They were getting nowhere with finding Kaetus, and almost got blown up looking for clues.

 _Really? My face too?_ Celeste grumbled internally as she gave up trying to clean her face. It was useless without a mirror anyway.

“We’re not going to get anywhere now. A remote detonation can mean anywhere from three feet to across the planet.” Cora griped as she felt the same frustration as Celeste. Someone was targeting them and it didn’t sit well with the former commando. Fists clenched at her sides, blue light flickered over her flesh as the irritation pulsed inside her.

“Well, now what do we do? We have a steaming pile of crap to deal with. Collective is being targeted by the Roekaar, and now so are we apparently, Kaetus is gone, and someone just tried to blow us up. It connects somehow and I’m pretty sure it leads to Kaetus. Somehow. The problem is proving it’s him.” Celeste swung her hand in an arch in front of her and as if to punctuate her words, the building gave a deafening groan and collapsed. _Ugh… Well, at least we weren’t in it this time_.

“Someone’s always trying to blow us up.” Jaal pointed out calmly.

“Okay yes, that is true, however, most have the decency to give us a face to go with it. Our usual band of enemies aren’t into subterfuge.” Celeste griped, tone laced with reluctant amusement. There really was always someone wanting to blow her up, kidnap her, or kill her. Half the time she probably deserved it, as she had a habit of getting snarky when backed into a corner. Like with the Archon and with Akksul.

“This time I think we can safely assume it was the Roekaar. We did just get finished wiping out the group here.” Cora tapped a few buttons on her omni-tool to send a message to the Tempest.

“Likely suspects but something tells me it’s Kaetus. I believe the Roekaar are a part of it, but I just can’t believe it’s anyone other than Kaetus at this point. I swear sabotage and subterfuge are the currency here. So, I’m not going to assume anything without concrete evidence.” Celeste shook her head in annoyance and crossed her arms.

“Pathfinder. Incoming message from Diteon.” SAM pulled up the call on Celeste’s omni-tool. Tate’s voice rang out in the small space.

“Pathfinder, we need you at the outpost. The Outcasts have launched an attack!” Her stomach twisted and her heart sped up. _Could they have lured us here to leave Diteon open to an attack? Whoever is behind it must think we died in the explosion. That gives us the element of surprise!_ The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she replied to Tate.

“We’ll be there soon. We’re not far.” The call ended as the group jumped into the Nomad. “Hey Jaal, there should be a spare helmet behind your seat. I never bothered to do anything with it.” The angaran leaned over and found the helmet she was talking about, he pulled it out and stifled a snort. “Yeah, yeah. It’s not pretty. It’ll work for an attack.”

“More like make you a sitting target. Why on earth did you take a lime green helmet that has a purple visor?” Cora stared at the hideous helmet with a mixture of disgust and amusement.

“It caught my eye. I can’t explain it.”

“Cora, if you haven’t noticed not much gets left behind when Ryder goes through the battlefield.” Jaal’s dry tone did not escape Celeste’s notice as she whipped her head back towards him.

“It’s not like the Initiative pays that well or, at all really. So, I have to find ways to fund my model ship habit and feed Cupcake!” Celeste protested in mock outrage. Cora rolled her eyes at the name of the space gerbil that ate better than the rest of the crew some days. The Nomad cruised over the crest of the hill and the scene was peaceful as they gazed at Diteon. Celeste’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as fear slithered down her spine.

“There are no Outcasts…” Jaal murmured as Cora stared in surprised silence, her lips parted slightly.

“SAM, could you trace that call signal?” Celeste asked as they pulled up to the mayor’s quarters. The outpost was not under attack, the scientists walked back and forth completing their daily tasks without a care. Celeste felt unease spread through her body, tightening her grip until her knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

“Of course Pathfinder.” SAM answered as he went to work with tracing the signal. A few moments later they had his answer. “It appears to have come from Diteon, but not from Mayor Tate. I cannot pinpoint its exact location.”

“They called from the broadcast tower I bet. That would help scramble a trace.” Cora said as the party climbed out of the Nomad. They turned to see the broadcast tower but the sun shone behind it, which obliterated their view.

“I would assume the same Lieutenant Harper.” SAM’s voice faded as the door slid open to reveal Mayor Christmas Tate.

“Pathfinder?” His brow furrowed as he saw the group standing at the bottom of the steps, looking like they’d had a fight with a chimney.

“We’ve got some news to share Mayor Tate.” Celeste told him as they headed up the stairs. Tate nodded solemnly and lead them to his quarters to discuss their findings.

“What do you mean someone sent an emergency transmission in my voice?” Tate demanded as Celeste pushed a button to replay the message. Tate’s eyebrows raised in surprise as he heard his own voice echoing in the small room. “I never sent that.”

“We’ll find out who did. Just gonna put it on the long list of things we have to investigate.” Celeste told him as the staggering impact of all they had to investigate hit her. It was just like settling Kadara all over again. A laundry list of incidents to investigate, her shoulders drooped at the magnitude of that list. She also had no chance of even trying to find out where Reyes went, not with the list as long as it was. Finding Kaetus took priority over anything else, no matter her own personal feelings.

“We’ll keep a closer eye on who is on the outpost Pathfinder. I’ll also have more guards rotating.” Celeste nodded and took a deep breath.

“Right. I’d better head back to Kadara Port so I can let Keema know about the Outcasts. She has a right to know those bastards are active, and will target her people.” Tate nodded and shook hands with Celeste before the party left the prefab.

“Keema won’t be happy.” Cora piped up beside Celeste.

“Well, she’ll be happy we put some in the ground. That should take the heat off the local angara and onto us.” Celeste pointed out. “Even the Outcasts aren’t stupid enough to attack Diteon while I’m still on Kadara.” Jaal had to agree with Celeste. The Outcasts knew and acknowledged Celeste as a powerful enemy, and they specifically avoided targeting her because of this. They’d steer clear of Diteon for fear of evoking the Pathfinder’s wrath, more so now that there were three more Pathfinders.

The Nomad sped away from Diteon and a silent figure watched the Pathfinder leave. He grinned at the way he manipulated the human so easily. So gullible and trusting. Even that damned AI wasn’t invulnerable. Taking over would be an easy feat if he could play his cards right.


	5. Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keema has something she has to tell the Pathfinder. Which sends Celeste into a panic.

Chapter Five: **Information**

 _Ryder, there is an incoming call from Ryan on the Hyperion._ SAM’s voice resonated in Celeste’s mind. A heartfelt smile curved her lips as she pulled up her omni-tool to answer. Cora had suggested going back to the Tempest to clean up before approaching Keema. Celeste had gotten a whiff of their combined stench: sulfuric, smoky, and sweat, and had agreed it would be best to clean up before going onto the port. The familiar face popped up on the screen, dark shadows under his eyes, with a grin.

“Ryan. It’s good to see you. You better not be giving Harry any trouble.” Amusement threaded her tone as she spoke to her twin, knowing full well he was a handful.

“You know me better than that sis.” Ryan joked as Dr. Carlyle’s grumbles came over the comm. Celeste covered up a snort of laughter as Ryan had the grace to look sheepish. “I just want to get out there with you. It’s no fun staying here.”

“I know. I need you at full strength though. I am not going to pull your ass out of the fire.” Celeste grinned cheekily at her brother who scowled at her in a decent imitation of their dad. Ryan looked the most like Alec, as Celeste took more after their mother in her features. The twins shared the same jade eye color and auburn hair, except his was cut into a high and tight.

“Fine, fine. I’ll be good and do my exercises.” The mocking tone was not lost on her and it always brought a smile to her face.

 _“And eat your vegetables.”_ SAM’s voice interjected as Celeste snickered at Ryan’s surprised expression. The flash of guilt on Ryan’s face told Celeste he’d probably been avoiding them, yet another trait they shared.

“Celeste, are you still on Kadara? When do you think you can swing by Meridian?” Though he kept his voice light, Celeste heard the undertones of loneliness and boredom. She missed her twin terribly too, and promised herself that once the mess on Kadara was finished she’d visit. She’d probably need a vacation from whatever was brewing on Kadara anyway.

“I can’t leave just yet. I can’t give details because I don’t have any of them yet, but a shit storm is brewing here.” She saw the flash of worry in his eyes before he covered it up with a grin. She knew he wanted to argue, but he also knew that she _had_ to be there.

“And the Pathfinder is right smack in the eye of it huh?” Celeste nodded and dropped her head into her free hand. “Poor sis. Having to go out and have adventures.”

“Getting shot at and a building explode while I am in it, is nothing to envy!” Celeste blurted out. She groaned in disgust as she realized that her rashness would cause him worry now. “Sorry Ryan. It’s a pretty big problem or problems here. We’re not sure yet.” Celeste sighed as she gave Ryan a brief rundown of what they’d discovered. “Please don’t let the Initiative leadership know this. That applies to you too Harry.” Celeste added as an afterthought, she didn’t believe the doctor would tell the leadership but she had learned to be cautious.

“I’d rather not have Tann or anyone else breathing over my shoulder. Your secret is safe with me.” Harry told her as he looked over Ryan’s vitals. Celeste nodded as her shoulders slumped in relief. “Don’t push yourself Ryder. Lexi works hard enough as it is.”

“Be safe out there sis.” Ryan told her before Harry told him time was up. “Ugh, looks like I have to go down for naptime.” The irritation was heavy in his voice and Celeste grinned. Dr. Carlyle was motioning to Ryan in the background and she told him to enjoy his nap. Ryan sent her a scorching look before the comm line cut off.

“Pathfinder, are you ready to go down to Kadara Port?” SAM asked. Celeste groaned as she knew it was time to go face Keema. Unease roiled in her gut as she thought of the things that could go wrong, and the things that were sure to be coming down the line. The thoughts weighed down her shoulders as the envisioned the nightmare this situation was bound to become.

“All right. Let’s go face Keema.” The young woman stood and stretched her back, feeling the pop in her spine. Celeste headed out of the Tempest and down to the port. The mood in the marketplace was subdued, as if they were merely waiting for the other shoe to drop. Celeste clenched her jaw as she saw the looks she was getting. Uneasy looks, outright hostile looks, and some predatory were all thrown at her. Celeste steeled her spine as she marched into the Outcast headquarters.

“Pathfinder, it’s good to see you well. I heard about your little mishap in the badlands.” Keema told her as Celeste strolled into the throne room. She greeted the human warmly, a genuine smile on her face.

“Yes.” Celeste’s face did not betray the surprise she felt at the angaran’s words. “At least we were able to confirm Roekaar are on Kadara, and that the Outcasts are here. Did you get our email about the terminal?”

“Where some imbecile is trying to figure out who the Charlatan is? Yes. I appreciate the danger you faced to give me this information.” Keema stood as Celeste made it over to her. “I also received an email from our mutual friend.” Celeste’s heart sped up as she wiped her now sweaty palms on her pants. “He wanted to tell you he’s fine. He would contact you himself, but he’s unfortunately in the middle of some plan of his.” Keema explained as a sympathetic expression filled her eyes. The sharp stab of pain in her heart was nothing new, and Celeste couldn’t expect anything less. She’d been the one to tell him she couldn’t trust him, the heel of her palm rubbing absently over her chest. Celeste grimaced once before schooling her features into a neutral expression.

“I see. I am glad to know he’s doing well. Maybe not safe, but at least he’s staying that way.” Celeste murmured as Keema felt her heart break for the Pathfinder. It was obvious to anyone that the human was still head over heels for the Charlatan, but Keema also understood why Celeste would be so conflicted. Reyes had lied to her despite Keema insisting he tell Celeste the truth and by keeping it from her, he broke both their hearts. She feared the same pattern would repeat itself this time. Keema only hoped it would not turn out badly again, and that Reyes would learn to trust the human.

Ryder looked up as Keema placed a hand on her shoulder. “I learned a few things about Kaetus while you were getting blown up.” The angaran woman ambled over to stare out the throne room window, the sunset casting a scarlet light in the room. Her hands were clasped behind her back but Celeste could see the simmering anger beneath the veneer of calm. The Pathfinder stood at Keema’s side and stared out at the flurry of activity in the port. “It seems someone bribed two of my guards. They are no longer in my employee, the left shortly after Kaetus escaped. We cannot find out who bribed them, but I suspect it was not an Outcast. All of their people are known to us.” Anger mixed with frustration in Keema’s tone while she told Celeste the story. “Now that we know there is a list. I have a plan that may draw the criminals out of hiding. Give them a prime opportunity to launch an attack at me. No doubt they believe that by killing me, they’ll leave a vacuum of power in Kadara Port.” Her hand waved dismissively in front of her face at Celeste’s cry of protest.

“You would put yourself in danger for the port?” Eyebrows raised in surprise as Celeste looked up at the angara. Celeste wasn’t sure what to think about this, it certainly did not bode well for the Collective.

“That should be no surprise. My people come first Pathfinder, just as yours do to you.” Keema explained. A nod of understanding passed between the two women, as each knew the sacrifices one must make to protect the people. “I shall want you at this event my dear. The Pathfinder and myself? That should provide a sufficiently delicious lure. Me for whomever is behind the Outcasts and you for Kaetus.” Keema chuckled as Celeste looked up at her the nerves shining in her green eyes. Celeste wasn’t sure, something was telling her that this wouldn’t end the way they thought it would. Something kept hovering over her, like a shadow over her shoulder just waiting until the right moment to strike. The only problem Celeste had was identifying who would be the one to strike.

“I do apologize Keema. What kind of event are you talking about?” Curiosity got the better of Celeste as she had to know what Keema was speaking of. The Pathfinder couldn’t believe Keema was being so relaxed about the whole thing, but then it occurred to her. Reyes probably told Keema everything, so the angara would know what was going on. That would account for her relaxed state about possible assassins.

“I read about these types of parties in your Milky Way history. You humans seem to favor them quite a bit it seems. We have similar parties of course, but the ones I’ve read in that lovely library of yours just seem so much more intriguing.” Keema chuckled at the confusion marring Celeste’s features. “I’m talking about a masquerade party Pathfinder. Do be sure to have a mask and adequate attire for a formal event.” Keema kept the grin to herself at the panic filling her dark green eyes. She wondered if the human had any formal attire, she’d never seen her in anything other than those Initiative clothes.

“Wait, you mean…” Celeste paused as she tried to form the right words. “A black tie party? Where you have to wear fancy dresses and suits?”

“Of course. We angara appreciate a good party and a chance to showcase our best clothing as well as humans.” Keema smiled as Celeste winced. She had a decent idea of what was going through the human’s mind. “I wish you luck Ryder.” _In more ways than one._ Keema looked over her shoulder as her assistant spoke softly to her. “If you’ll excuse me, we still have much to plan.” Celeste nodded as Keema left the room to speak with her assistant. The pathfinder turned on her heel and marched out of the throne room. As the door shut behind Celeste, the shadows rippled with movement.

“Are you certain it’s wise to keep these things from her again? This is going to wind up biting you in the arse Reyes. I’ve told you not to keep things from her.” Keema turned as the human man slid away from the shadows. She was concerned for the two of them, but would not betray his confidence. Her loyalty was to the Charlatan and not to the Pathfinder. He knew it as well.

“You know I can’t do that Keema. There is too much at stake to bring her into this now.” He brought up his omni-tool to conduct some more business while Keema briefed him on what the Pathfinder had discovered. He grumbled as he had known this prior, there was one crucial element he was keeping from Keema. There had been no choice in the matter, and he had provided a plan for every possible scenario. Keema knew the part she had to play at the masquerade, which was all Reyes could ask of her.

The doors to the Tempest slid open as Celeste bolted through the Tempest. She passed by Liam, Cora, and Jaal in the research room, her goal the cargo bay. “Ryder?” Cora’s voice carried over the sounds of the cargo bay. Vetra’s room was on the left side of the cargo bay, and Celeste impatiently jumped down, bypassing using a ladder, to the bottom floor. Her shoes making a loud thud as she connected, barely feeling the stinging pain going up her legs from the impact.

“What’s the rush kid?” Drack chuckled as he saw her impressive jump off the second floor. Peebee was curious as Ryder jumped from foot to foot, impatience evident in her body, as Vetra’s door opened. The human disappeared into Vetra’s room with a flurry of movement.

“What can I do for you Ryder?” Vetra asked as the Pathfinder slid to a stop behind her. She swung around to face her, clicking off the omni-tool to give Celeste her full attention.

“Where can I find a dress in Andromeda!?” The words burst out of Celeste’s mouth before she could stop them. Silence descended upon the room as Vetra’s jaw dropped.


	6. Goddamn Dresses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vetra tracks down a dress and Celeste relives that scene in the cave with Reyes.

Chapter Six: _Goddamn Dresses_

“Finding a dress is a seriously tall order Ryder. Popcorn I can track, but silk and thread? Not so easy.” Vetra told Celeste as she tapped at the keyboard. The Pathfinder in question was pacing in the room, irritation falling off her in waves. It was like watching a trapped animal trapped in a cage, and Vetra felt her heart go out to the human. “Okay. Are you madder that you have to track down a dress or that Reyes didn’t email you personally?” The turian turned slightly to look at Celeste. Celeste stiffened her shoulders but the answer was more complicated than Vetra expected.

“It’s not easy to explain. I don’t like this whole thing Vetra. Something isn’t adding up. Kaetus, the Outcasts, and Reyes. Something is brewing in Kadara and I’m worried that the whole thing is going to implode.” Celeste knew it was also partly because Reyes didn’t email her, but at the same time she knew it was this crazy conspiracy on Kadara. Nothing she did seemed to end the strife with the galaxy. Celeste just had that bad feeling in the back of her mind, like an itch she couldn’t reach. It buzzed at the most annoying times that there was something sinister on the planet, even more so than normal. Vetra would picture Reyes as the last person for the Pathfinder, but she hated seeing pain in her friend’s eyes. Ryder’s shoulders slumped in defeat as she wrapped her arms around her midsection. Celeste knew she couldn’t be angry at Reyes for not getting into contact with her, but it didn’t stop the hurt from burning in her heart.

“I can’t blame Reyes for not emailing me. How can I?” Celeste turned her head away from Vetra to hide the pain in her eyes. The words were the truth but even Vetra could see the misery there. Celeste was very hard at hiding her feelings when it came to her friends.

“You still have feelings for him.” It was not a question. Celeste sucked in a quick breath and debated for a hot second about denying it. It would do no good to deny it with Vetra. The turian saw too much sometimes and Celeste could not forget that.

“I do. I can’t forget what he did but I can’t just shake my feelings for him as easily.” Celeste told Vetra. “The Initiative would never have approved of the Pathfinder being in a relationship with a smuggler from Kadara. Even less so if they ever found out the truth about who Reyes really is. And I can’t stand it when people lie to me. Not after everything that’s happened in this galaxy so far.” An anguished sob lodged in her throat as the burning in her chest intensified. It felt like a heated weight was pressing into her lungs as she tried to keep the anguish down, she’d already shed enough tears for the cocky smuggler.

“Ryder.” Vetra sighed and looked at the computer with its scrolling text as she thought of her next words carefully. “You found Meridian, defeated the Archon, and made Heleus livable.” Celeste looked at Vetra as she blinked away the tears in confusion. “Perhaps it’s time you stop thinking about everyone else and think of yourself for once.” Celeste sucked in a breath as the thoughts jumbled through her head. Ultimately Celeste shook her head. There wasn’t anything like that in store for her. Her heart would never trust him again, and she needed that trust in a relationship, like she needed to breathe.

“No. I don’t think it would work. Whatever was there…” Celeste tilted her head, the ponytail sliding over her shoulder, as she fought the urge to cry. Her eyes were burning, she knew the tears were just beneath the surface ready for a chance to fall. “Is gone. What I told him in that cave. I didn’t hold back on my feelings for him. My thoughts on his omission. I can’t ever trust him again, Vetra. Trust is vital to me, I can’t enter into a relationship without it.” Celeste murmured softly. Vetra’s mandibles flickered in sympathy, but she refrained from commenting. She would not push Celeste, the Pathfinder had legitimate concerns about a relationship with the smuggler. Vetra just hated seeing that pain in her eyes when it came to his name.

“I won’t push. You know I won’t, but please consider what you want for once. Don’t think about the Initiative, not about us, and not about your brother. I want you to think selfishly for once.” Vetra placed a comforting hand on Celeste’s arm. Celeste nodded and agreed to think about it seriously, though both women knew Celeste had already decided on the answer. “Good. Now I need to see about tracking down a dress.” Vetra patted her shoulder and sat at the desk grumbling to herself about dresses.

Celeste went to her quarters and slumped down on the sofa. She pulled up her knees to her chest and rested her chin on top, the memories swimming at the front of her mind. It seemed like a long time ago, but it was only a few months. She closed her eyes and indulged herself in the memory, knowing her heart would break a little again. All the regrets in the world would not take back her words nor would it erase the pain in her heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Reyes… You are the Charlatan?” The words tumbled from her lips as she saw him step out of the shadows. Reyes simply tipped his head in acknowledgement and Celeste felt her heart crack. She’d asked him to not keep things hidden from her anymore, to not lie to her anymore. She understood that his business dealt in small lies, those she could understand but not the big things. She dealt with politicians on the Nexus, the incident with the Three Sabers and Addison, and all she asked for was to trust the man she had begun to love. SAM told her about the sniper hidden in the shadows, but the Pathfinder didn’t want Sloane in charge of Kadara. She couldn’t justify leaving Sloane in charge, the paranoia clear in the woman’s demeanor. That paranoia had driven her to new heights with cruelness. It was a split-second decision but she hadn’t trusted Sloane, and she knew in her gut that Reyes would be the better choice. The shot rang out through the cave and Sloane jerked as the bullet hit its target. Jaal and Cora were startled by the result of the duel. Reyes asked Celeste to follow him and she told her friends to stay where they were. Celeste walked through the door and held in her temper and hurt until they were alone.

“I guess you got everything you wanted.” Celeste’s voice cracked with unshed tears as they entered the separate cave. Her chest burned as if someone had put embers where her heart was. The lump lodged in her throat as she tried to keep the tears from falling. The betrayal had cut worse than a knife, she’d had preferred to be physically stabbed. She looked at him, in front of her, and she couldn’t believe this was the same man that had shown her such tenderness.

“I want peace. Sloane would have brought war.” Reyes’s tone was cold as he led her through the dark cave. He ran a hand through his hair as he turned to look at her with anguish in his eyes. Celeste saw it but it didn’t do anything to ease the cut of betrayal in her heart. It hurt to see him hurting, and she wanted to reach out and soothe the misery there.

“Why didn’t you trust me?” Celeste asked as he stopped to face her. Tears burned the back of her eyes as her heart galloped in her chest. She had to admit that was the thing that cut the deepest. He hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her about his little game he was playing with Sloane. He’d kept his identity a secret from her, and then she’d had to find out along with Sloane. He’d manipulated her and used her to his own end. Celeste couldn’t be sure that anything was real. Had he just told her all those tender words to get her to trust him so she’d side against Sloane? Had anything been real? The kisses? That hurt the worst, that he’d used her growing feelings for him against her. The damp muskiness of the cave almost overwhelmed her senses, but she still caught his scent. The smell of sandalwood and darkness. It was burned into her subconsciousness.

“I liked the way you looked at me. I was afraid that would change.” Celeste felt the tears spill over. She wiped at them with the heel of her palm and shook her head as he reached a hand out.

“I can’t. Reyes, I can’t. I asked you not to hide anything from me. To not lie to me.” Her voice trembled as she tried to get the words out around the lump in her throat. Her chest felt tight, the anguish at his betrayal crushing her. “Everyone has kept secrets or hidden things from me. Even my father keeps secrets from me.” She looked at him, her green eyes almost black from emotion. “I can’t be with someone who can’t be honest. I understood you had to keep small things secret, it’s part of your profession as a smuggler. But this?” Her arms swept out to her sides. “This is too much. Was anything real for you Reyes? Did you mean those words you told me? When you kissed me that night on the crates? Or was it all a lie so I’d side with you?” Celeste closed her eyes against the hurt she saw in his eyes. Her words would cut like a knife, and she knew it but they seemed to flow without end. “I won’t betray your secrets. Neither will my crew.” Celeste assured him as she sniffled. She thought of all the people depending on her to make a home for them. “This is too much to overcome.”

“You doubt what I told you that night? So, you are ending this?” Reyes asked her, his voice hoarse from his own pain. She flinched away from the words with a nod.

“Y-Yes. I am.” Celeste turned her back to Reyes and walked back towards the entrance to the cave, desperately trying to hold herself together as it seemed everything shattered around her. The ringing in her ears blocked out sound, but she saw the looks on Cora and Jaal’s faces when she came back to the entrance. Jaal had taken a step towards her but Cora stopped him. They had gone back to the Tempest in silence and Celeste had indulged in some self-pity for a few days until she had to put herself back into Pathfinder mode. It was only a temporary bandaid, but there was not time for her to properly grieve for her broken heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The memory never failed to bring the pain back fresh. Every day she wished she could go back and take back her words, tell Reyes she didn’t care he kept his identity secret. She just wanted him back. A heart wrenching sob echoed in the quiet room as she gave in to the grief of losing Reyes. She would take it all back if she could, but the trust wouldn’t remain. Celeste felt her chest ache with the sobs, but she thought about trying again. In the end, she knew it wasn’t feasible. The crackle of the intercom interrupted her pity session and she hastily wiped at her damp cheeks. “Hey Ryder, you’re not going to believe this. I got a lead on where to find a dress. Come see me when you get a chance.” Vetra cut off the intercom as Ryder stood up from the sofa.

 _“Might I suggest washing your face before venturing out Pathfinder.”_ SAM gently advised as a reluctant smile curled her lips. The backs of her fingers wiped hastily at the dampness on her cheeks.

“Yeah. I look a fright.” She laughed as she could picture her face. Splotchy skin and puffy eyes were the usual symptoms. Celeste knew she had never been a pretty crier. She paused by the shared bathroom to splash some water on her face before heading to Vetra’s quarters.

“So, you actually found a lead on a dress?” Her footsteps were quiet in the storage room. The turian didn’t even look up as she entered at first.

“Technically it’s a bunch of theatre props and costumes.” Vetra explained as Ryder walked in, she turned to face Celeste as the Pathfinder came to a rest behind her. Vetra kept silent about the puffy eyes and maintained a light tone. Drack poked his head in.

“Theatre costumes?” The old krogan took up a lot of space in Vetra’s quarters but neither woman minded. He had to admit he was curious about this, sounded like something fun was brewing.

“Yeah. Seems like Ryder has to go to a fancy party on Kadara. Being the awesome person I am, I tracked down a dress for her.” Vetra announced to Drack.

“I just might be impressed.” Drack told her as the turian turned her chair and chuckled. A few quick taps on her keyboard brought up the information on the storage crate.

“There’s just one problem.” Vetra’s mandibles twitched as she heard Ryder’s groan and Drack’s chuckle. “It seems the container that stored all the props and costumes was recently stolen from a hijacked shuttle.”

“Nothing is ever simple is it?” Celeste complained as she leaned against one of the cabinets. Just her luck that the crate was stolen by some pirates.

“Fear not. Cora gave me some authorization codes to use. I managed to track the shuttle down and from there used a few contacts to locate the scavenger who took it.” Vetra leaned her elbow on the desk. “So we know where it is. Are we ready to go get it?”

“I have no choice, do I? Keema won’t let me into the party unless I’m actually dressed for this thing.”

“What is that angaran thinking having a fancy party like this? It’s begging for an assassination attempt.” Drack groused. He wasn’t comfortable with this plan as it put the Pathfinder in a vulnerable position. Armor couldn’t be worn to a black tie event, no matter how you fancied it up.

“I think that’s the point. Having the Pathfinder there would sweeten the pot.” Gil called out from the door as he passed by. Celeste sighed as she had Vetra send the coordinates to Kallo for the scavenger’s ship. SAM was already helping the pilot complete the calculations for the galaxy map as Celeste joined them on the bridge. The nav point had brought them to the middle of nowhere in Elaaden’s system, and to a beaten-up excuse for a ship.

“This, is it?” Celeste asked as her eyebrow lifted in confusion. She looked at Vetra and Cora as they shrugged. This couldn’t be right. _This hunk of junk is the pirate’s ship?_

“This is where your nav points pointed us to.” Kallo reminded the Pathfinder. Her shoulders slumped as she sighed in defeat. The ship was ancient and did not look very flight worthy, Celeste privately wondered how the thing stayed up in the air. Its chassis resembled an old cargo freighter but the patch jobs and badly welded sections of the ship altered its original shape. “I found a suitable docking bay.” Kallo announced over the speaker. He brought the ship around on Celeste’s orders.

Cora, Vetra, and Celeste snuck onto the ship undetected, which seemed completely abandoned. That unsettled Celeste as nothing ever went her way when it came to missions. Something always screwed up, so her body was taut as a wire, prepared to leap into battle. Zap was ready to materialize in battle as was her assault turret. Vetra looked around the big hanger bay they found themselves in. It was filled from floor to ceiling with cargo containers. Cora let out a low whistle at seeing the mix of Initiative and angaran symbols blazoned on the side of the crates.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Celeste bit out in frustration as she saw how many containers there were. Her hands clenched as the aggravation rolled through her. “Is there a hundred here or something?” Sarcasm threaded her voice as she spoke.

 _“There are only seventy-five, Pathfinder.”_ SAM’s metallic voice did nothing to ease the annoyance. Her face scrunched up in frustration as she thanked SAM in a voice dripping in sarcasm.

“May as well begin scanning?” Cora suggested as everyone sighed at the mountain of work ahead of them. They’d gotten a quarter of the way when the scavengers finally realized they had intruders on the ship, which was only half an hour after they had boarded.

“Oops. Did we forget our invitation?” Celeste asked jokingly as the pirates rushed into the room with their weapons up. Her hands were up in the universal symbol of peace, and the captain stepped out of the crowd and up to Celeste. He stared down at her and she saw his lip curl into a snarl. This angaran had deep blue skin with some faint white markings on his face, similar to a tattoo.

“Toss out the trash boys.” He snapped as Celeste heaved a put-upon sigh. These things never changed and the bad guys never learned.

“I really hate it when they don’t cooperate.” Celeste muttered as she brought up her omni-tool.

“We did technically break into their ship.” Vetra quipped as she ducked behind cover, the glowing tech armor appearing above her normal armor.

“After they stole Initiative property.” Cora pointed out as her hand crackled with blue light.

“Wait. You’re Initiative?” The captain held up the pistol to Celeste’s head as she blinked in surprise. Her mouth dropped open and she couldn’t find the right words to not offend the guy. Her impulsiveness reared its ugly head as she spat out the words before thinking it through carefully.

“Are you blind? Two of us are wearing Initiative issued armor and you ask if we’re Initiative?” Celeste propped a hand on her hip as she shook her head at the man’s obliviousness.

“That’s it.” He roared as he raised the pistol to bash Celeste’s helmet. The flashing red light of the grenade was the only warning he received before the grenade exploded. She was thrown back by the force of the explosion as well. Celeste thanked her lucky stars that her upgraded shields and new armor absorbed that damage and scrambled behind the crate. The worst she’d have is a few new bruises that Lexi would fuss at her over. The crew stood in dumbfounded silence at what remained of their captain, and Celeste heard the clatter of ten weapons falling to the floor echoed in the hanger bay.

“We’re not dumb and he certainly didn’t pay us enough to take on the Initiative.” One crew member told them. Celeste popped her head out to looked at them. It was almost comically how she looked, grasping the edge of the crate to peer over it. Sometimes Celeste wished she had a few more inches on her, as she certainly resembled one of those old Earth cartoons. _Well that was anticlimactic,_ Celeste thought even though she wanted to avoid more fighting.

“Let us scan for what we’re after and we’ll let you have the ship. So long as you don’t raid Initiative shuttles anymore.” Celeste threw out. The crew discussed it amongst themselves and came to a consensus.

“Deal.” They said as the men filed out of the hanger bay. Cora looked at Celeste with disapproval apparent in her gaze. Vetra shook her head as she had to figure Celeste was up to something. Little did the crew know that SAM was already sending out a signal to the Initiative security that some missing cargo was on the ship. Security would arrive within three hours. Celeste would never let the scavengers go without reprisal, there had been people on those shuttles that had died.

“All right! Let’s get that damn crate.” Celeste muttered as the trio began scanning again. They had the serial number, so it shouldn’t take that long. Celeste only hoped her luck would hold out and the crate would be near the bottom.

“Found it!” Vetra called out as she found the container, it was on the end by itself. Celeste jumped down from the top of the stack she was scanning, only barely managing to remain upright. Jump jets were _not_ her specialty at all. She’d twisted in mid air and almost wound up landing on her ass, _almost_. Cora joined Vetra and put a hand on her hip, scanning the crate.

“This is what we were after?” Cora waved her hand towards the crate in surprise as she couldn’t believe that this crate held a dress.

“Well, yeah. It’s full of costumes and other props. Inventory list didn’t say anything about set props though.” Vetra mentioned as they tried to lift the box. Celeste strained and they barely got it to budge. “Tempest, we need Drack.” Suvi acknowledged and Drack joined them in the hangar bay.

“This it?” Cora nodded and Drack picked up the tiny pathfinder, squeaking in surprise, and put her to the side. “Move aside Ryder.” The old krogan pushed the crate to the Tempest as the party watched in amazement. Drack left it in the cargo bay for the Pathfinder to open and he leaned against the Nomad to watch.

Celeste scanned the crate and SAM acquired the access code. The lid popped open and a sea of fabric and colors flowed out and buried Celeste up to her knees. “Well, it’s got variety.” Celeste carefully stepped out of the jumble of cloth. “Time to dig in.” She rolled her sleeves up and went to work. Celeste had loved going to the theater when her family lived on the Citadel, she was a big drama nerd. A skill of sewing had come in handy when she or Ryan tore their clothes. Drack watched Celeste work methodically through the costumes, and snickered at some of the comments she was making. “What was this for!? Elcor Hamlet? It’s enormous!” Celeste held up the sapphire velvet that drooped even as she held open her arms as wide as she could. “It could even fit Drack!” She sent the old krogan a quick, teasing grin.

“Leave me out of this,” Drack growled in warning as she held up the blue cloth in front of him.

“No worries old man.” She laughed at his scowl before going back to work. “Oh! This looks like it’ll fit.” She held up a black dress. The neckline would plunge almost to her waist, the mere thought flushing her face, and it had hanging sleeves. The skirt was loose and Celeste imagined it would flow freely around her ankles. It looked like an outfit from one of Shakespeare’s plays, probably Hamlet or Macbeth. Cora announced she’d found a sewing machine in the back of the box, which only brightened Celeste’s mood. Wearing a dress wouldn’t be too bad, she hadn’t worn one since before leaving the Milky Way.

“I found some shoes.” Cora announced from her side. The strappy stiletto heels gave Ryder a shudder as she imagined walking on them, she couldn’t handle jump jets so heels would be a nightmare to deal with. They were the only pair that were in her size, much to her consternation.

“Ooh, there’s even makeup Ryder.” Suvi commented as she lifted the small box. It wasn’t the thick theatre make up either, someone had snuck their own stash into the crate.

“Now we need a mask.” Vetra called out from her room, staying far away from the chaos. Gil watched from the drive core room, praying the cloth would be put back in the box before he had to work on the Nomad. Celeste dug around some more and found a box labeled for Phantom of the Opera. She dug inside and came up with the Phantom’s masks.

“Found one!” Celeste held it up. “They certainly didn’t adhere to the traditional opera. This is a black mask.” Celeste commented.

“I can handle decoration Ryder, if you don’t mind.” Suvi held out her hand and Celeste shrugged. She handed over the mask to the science officer who walked away with it.

“Okay. Now, time to get this dress ready,” Celeste announced. She put the costumes back in the crate and Vetra called in at the Nexus about it. They’d drop it off at their next stop in. Celeste took the dress and sewing machine to her room and had SAM put up a do not disturb signal for the room. She worked feverishly for two days straight, she’d learned early on how to patch up and sew clothing. She and Ryan had been forever tearing their clothes as kids and teenagers. Celeste held up the dress and gave it a critical eye. The silk slid over her like a dream, the skirt billowing out just how she pictured it. Celeste gave in and twirled a bit, giggling when the skirt flared out. The neckline was a little too daring for her taste, it went down to almost her navel. Pale skin was exposed and the sides of her breasts were visible. Celeste hoped humiliation wouldn’t flush her face the entire night. A tiny thought entered her mind: _Would Reyes be there?_ She wanted him to see her in the dress, and hopefully get a dance. Reality crashed through her dreamy thoughts, she had to keep an eye out for the potential assassin. Not dance with the Charlatan. There was a chance Reyes wouldn’t even show up, someone was after him after all. Even if they didn’t know he was the Charlatan. Celeste took the dress off and draped it over the sofa carefully. She went to take a shower, with the invitation to the masquerade blinking on her email terminal.


	7. Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The masquerade is in full swing. Lights, music, bubbly wine all go to Celeste's head. Will this night of grandeur end in blood?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by DestinyApostasy on Tumblr.
>
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/AaW5NKZ)
> 
> Art by coyote-carnage on Tumblr
>
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/2TAknml)
> 
> Art by squarerootofdestiny on Tumblr
>
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/VZgNuV9)

Butterflies fluttered in Celeste’s stomach as she walked through the Kadara Port docking bay door. Her heels clicked against the metal floor of the marketplace, on her way to Collective Headquarters, she’d practiced for _hours_ to get the hang of the damn things. Suvi had her curled her auburn locks, swept them up into a loose bun at the back of her neck with a few curls escaping to frame the sides of her face. The silk of her dress rustled as she lifted it a few inches to make it up the ramp. Armed guards stood at the ready around the marketplace and headquarters, Celeste didn’t know if this made her feel safe or not. A large group of angara and Milky Way species had already concentrated outside the Collective building. The atmosphere was already lively by the time Celeste made it to the landing. The neon signs threw a festive glow over the party goers, twinkling in the Kadara sunset. She saw a lot of angara wearing black clothing with _rofjinn_ that were ornate than normal, some wore vivid jewels wrapped in gleaming metal adorning the garments and others had theirs made from finer material than normal. Celeste saw the angara staring in confusion at the masks they were required to wear, and caught snippets of their comments. _Some Milky Way tradition? What is Keema thinking? I like them, they make me feel exotic._ Her lips curved in a smile as she made her way through the crowd and to the front door. She breathed in to give herself some courage and slipped through the open door. Soft music drifted to her ears from the throne room, a haunting melody that spoke to the darkness lingering in her own soul.

 _Pathfinder. Would you like me to scan the room for known Roekaar or Outcast personnel?_ SAM’s voice rambled through her mind. Celeste murmured an agreement as she scouted out the room through her mask. She had no idea how Suvi had achieved the miracle that she now wore on her face. She’d had taken the black phantom mask, that covered half her face, and added filigree to it. The swirls and curves were painted in a beautiful silver, and enhanced Celeste’s jade green eyes. The science officer had trimmed it down so that it delicately framed Celeste’s face instead of overwhelmed it. Her lips, painted a dark crimson, curved as she felt the infectious party atmosphere pour over her.

“Pathfinder Ryder! I am so pleased you could make it!” Keema called out as Ryder approached. She was garbed in a flowing gown of dark sapphire, the fabric slid against the angaran’s legs like water. Celeste gripped the angaran woman’s hand firmly with a warm smile on her lips. “I trust finding that fetching outfit wasn’t too much trouble?” Keema’s lips broke out into a smile as she saw the Celeste’s lips compressed into a thin line. “I see that it was. I must hear the story when this is all over. Now go and mingle darling. That’s what a party is for.” Keema ushered Celeste towards the food table and turned back to chat with her associates. Celeste sighed as she felt completely out of her element. She loved wearing a dress, missed it dreadfully, but she felt naked without full armor on. Though she had placed the Eagle on the outside of her thigh, a precaution she fought for, and which was well hidden within the folds of her dress. Celeste had never been the one for grand parties back in the Milky Way, she preferred the quiet.

Celeste was looking over the buffet table when a tingling at the back of her neck alerted her to someone watching. She turned her head to look to her right. Moss green eyes zeroed in on a figure dressed in all black. The coat was expertly tailored, she’d expected no less, and the only white was the crisp linen of his shirt peeking through. His mask was burgundy with a broad white band slashing diagonally across it, the gold filigree swirls accenting the eyes of his mask. That shock of raven hair still the same, but he was too far away from her to see the expression on his face. Her eyes widened with recognition as a lump lodged in her throat. Her chest felt tight as she drank in his form. Celeste tamped down the urge to run over to him, there would be no point in it. She opened her mouth to call out but he put a finger to his lips and melted into the shadows like a specter. Celeste rushed over to where he had been, skirts rustling in her haste, but she knew he was already gone. The burning in her eyes blurred her vision, she had to find him again. He still had a powerful effect on her, even after everything. Relief mingled with confusion in her heart, why would he make an appearance? Surely, he knew he was being targeted, he’d sent that email to Keema alerting her to his well-being, so why would he risk coming to a party? Celeste knew she had to talk with him about current events and apologize for her words last time, but he seemed determined to slip away from her like smoke. Nothing more than she deserved, but her heart still ached as she searched the room.

The growling in her stomach ceased her hopeless search of the room, and she went over to the banquet table. Keema had laid out angaran foods as well as Milky Way specialties. Celeste nibbled on one of the canapes for humans, and let her eyes scan the room. She could have SAM scan for Reyes, but that felt like cheating and if he didn’t want her to find him… Well she wouldn’t barge into his privacy. She rubbed at her shoulder as the burning in her chest got worse, the sharp lance spearing her heart. Vetra had been right, Celeste had to get some closure or she’d never be able to move on. The first thing on the agenda would be to apologize for the things she had said. She could only hope the Charlatan would forgive her, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t be so easy. A passing waiter passed her a glass of what appeared to be wine, but she took a careful sniff to be sure. The sparkling crimson juice tickled her nose, and released a delightful aroma over her senses. Bubbles exploded in a rush on her tongue as she took a sip, it tasted like champagne but the flavor was much sweeter. The sparkling warmth slid down her throat pleasantly. An involuntary giggle left her throat as she looked at the glass.

A thought occurred to her. “SAM, does this have _tavum_ in it?” Affirmative Pathfinder, please be cautious of how much you ingest please. Celeste sighed as she set the glass on an empty tray, she figured she’d already drank too much. Ryan was forever teasing her that she was a lightweight when it came to alcohol. SAM could monitor how much the angaran slow acting liquor affected her system, at least she hoped he would. Being drunk when she was supposed to be looking around for an assassin was not exactly promoting the image of Pathfinder. Neither was being in a dress… She stared out at the dance floor, the steps unfamiliar to her but it looked fun. The music flowed through her, a distinctly angaran piece played with human instruments. The melody was played with violins and a piano, hauntingly lovely. Celeste could easily picture the lovers dancing on the floor, as the music could only be a love song.

Celeste was caught up in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice it when someone slipped behind her. She stifled a shriek as a hand cupped her elbow in a gentle grip and she whirled to face the person who grabbed her. Fury iced over her eyes, indignant that she’d be grabbed so freely, until she met those familiar honey colored ones. Fury melted into shock as recognition dawned. “Reyes?” His name was a whisper on her lips as the slightly mocking smile crossed his lips. Celeste felt the air leave her lungs, he was standing there in front of her and she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. “Reyes. What?” The words spilled from her lips before she could stop them, and despite the mask she just knew he had lifted that eyebrow at her. As if to ask _Oh? Speechless for once Pathfinder?_ The burn at the back of her throat had nothing to do with alcohol now, and the warmth spreading through her stomach was all because of the man standing in front of her. After the betrayal and the hurt words, he had such a potent effect on her. She could drown in those eyes as she searched his face for _something,_ anything that would give her a look into his emotions. As always, his face was an inscrutable mask. He looked devastatingly handsome in that black suit, and she wondered in the back of her mind where he had gotten it and his mask. Her gaze roamed over his face but he remained tight lipped. Celeste recognized the tactic and cursed her inability to let silences stand. She wanted to touch him, to make sure he was real, but she’d lost the right to that when she’d slapped at him for betraying her. Her fingers curled at her sides to resist the urge to touch.

“Would the Pathfinder care to dance?” Celeste winced inwardly at the use of her title, but she knew it was deserved. She missed the name he used to call her, before the showdown with Sloane. When he’d discovered she would hum at random times, and especially she had to wait for something. Celeste wondered at his thoughts but she had to proceed in a cautious manner. Despite her body screaming at her to lean into him, she had to keep her wits about her.

“I’m not sure of the steps to this dance.” Celeste murmured. The room seemed to fade and dim around her as her senses focused on the man in front of her. The memory of that night sitting on the cargo crates came back to her, and her asking him to not hide anything from her. The intoxicating kisses that had promised much more, but her insistence they not cross that line. Celeste met his gaze unwaveringly, despite knowing she was likely wearing her heart on her sleeve. She was never good at hiding her emotions from him, and that thought had once alarmed her. It still alarmed her, the thought of giving him that much power over her. The ability to hide her emotions was never something she’d mastered.

“We will make our own steps _mi sirena_.” His hand stretched out for her as he bowed elaborately in front of her. Celeste felt heat suffuse her face at the words. _My siren_ was what he’d called her before things had exploded between them like dynamite with a short fuse. She slid her hand in his as the music shifted. The tempo changed to something slow and sultry. Her eyes snapped over to the band as his hand tightened over her fingers. Suspicion snuck into her eyes as the timing of the music was a little _too_ convenient. Celeste sucked in a nervous breath as he tugged her towards him. Her hand fluttered to his shoulder, surprised by how soft the fabric of his jacket was. His hand slid to her waist, a hot brand through the silk of the dress. The gentle pressure he exerted pushed her into the rhythm he set. Celeste found her body and tempo matched his naturally, as if they’d been dancing together for years. The other dancers blurred together as she followed Reyes’s lead. The heels nearly brought her to eye level with him, and she dared a peek. His expression was inscrutable behind that wine-red mask. Those honey eyes stared down at her with a heated expression and she looked away with red creeping up her face. He was always able to keep his emotions hidden better than she was. Celeste felt her heart thump against her chest as he turned them in the dance. Her feet automatically followed his. The dance was unfamiliar but his movements were fluid, and Celeste found her body shifting to match him. Dancing was something she was able to do, despite being a klutz on and off the battlefield, it was the one area she thought she retained some grace. Ellen had insisted that Ryan and Celeste take classes in classical dancing, but only Celeste had truly taken the lessons to heart. Ryan preferred painting the dancers to being on the dance floor himself.

Her blood warmed as she felt his muscles bunch and move under the fine cloth of that jacket. The man had an unnatural grace about him, like a deadly feline predator. Others compared the Charlatan to a wolf, but Celeste figured him for a more patient predator. He was always waiting for his enemies to fall into his traps, and seemed to have that endless patience until his plans were achieved. While a wolf could hunt and stalk its prey, a panther was more patient and ruthless when it came to the kill. A shudder wracked her body as her thoughts ran away from her. Yet her blood still heated at the thought of what he’d do to her if he caught her in a trap.

“Cold Ryder?” He leaned in close to speak in her ear. Another shudder, this time not from the cool air, shook her body. His hand pushed her closer, much closer than the dance called for. Celeste bit her lip to keep from groaning out loud. She shook her head in answer as the music pulsed through her. The music reminded her of an old school human jazz tune she’d heard in some of the clubs back on the Citadel. The melody hummed in her throat as the tune reminded her of it. “I did not take you for a jazz fan.” She choked on the hum as reality crashed in on her thoughts/

“There’s a lot you may not know about me.” Celeste murmured as he moved forward in a small circle again. The black silk of her dress swirled in the turn, wrapping around his leg as she longed to wrap her arms around him. Reyes chuckled against her hair as he laid his cheek against the side of her head, nuzzling the curls there. Her breathing hitched as heat spread languidly through her boy. Celeste breathed in his scent while she was close, sandalwood and vanilla, a heady mixture that she wanted to drown in. “Reyes. I need.”

“Shush. No words right now. There will be plenty of time for words later.” Reyes murmured against her hair. His lips brushed the curls at her temple, lips grazing the mask. She wished he would kiss her again, her body craved the touch and taste of him again. Despite her brain telling her it was a bad idea to kiss him again, her body craved his taste again. Her focus was the man in front of her, everything else faded to the background as his lips lowered towards her mouth. She almost wept when they brushed against hers in a whisper soft kiss. His hand fisted in the silk of her dress as he kept the pressure light and easy. Except the kiss set her body on fire. She wanted to get closer to him, desperately wanted to press herself against him. A gasp stuttered out of her lungs as his tongue caressed her bottom lip. She tightened her grip on his shoulder as her lips trembled open for him. He muttered a dark oath before he completely captured her lips with his in demand. Celeste willing gave in, her eyes fluttering closed as she opened for him. His hand at her waist pulled her full length against him, her breasts crushed against his chest. The sounds of the music faded away as her entire being was focused on the man in front of her. The dark pleasure that whirled in her body as she clung to him.

Her entire body felt weightless as she felt the need hum along her skin, the joy of being in his arms bubbling inside her. It was more intense this time, she hadn’t been this drunk off his taste last time. Her hand brushed against his neck as she needed to touch his skin, to feel its warmth under her fingers. He lifted his head to stare down at her. His eyes glittered with wicked promise as he stared at her. Her body reacted to the unspoken words, even as her mind screamed at her to focus. They stayed like that, motionless and staring into each other’s eyes, in the middle of the dance floor as the other dancers circled around them in a blur. It was as if time stood still for them. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as she tried to calm her body. Reyes opened his mouth as if to say something when the sharp crack sounded over the music. She was immediately pulled against him as he shielded her with his body. Celeste froze as she heard the shrieks coming from the front of the room, where the throne of Kadara sat.

Chaos erupted as angara and Milky Way alike, fled the building. Celeste grunted as one of the partygoers knocked into her. She felt Reyes tighten his grip as they let the panicked revelers dash around them. The throne room was empty in minutes, though it felt like forever, and Celeste peeked around Reyes. He let her go reluctantly as they had to find out what happened. There were only Collective members left and they surrounded a motionless form by the throne. The sparkle of sapphire cloth spread against the cold black of the metal floor. Celeste felt her heart stop as she looked over.

“No…” Celeste’s breath rushed out in one short word as one soldier moved. That familiar lavender skin tone struck her as hard as Drack did during drills. _It couldn’t be. Not Keema. No._ “No.” Celeste walked over with Reyes behind her. Her shoe slipped a few inches under her and she looked down to see what it was. The puddle of blue liquid seeped from Keema’s body, and under the onyx of Ryder’s heels. The cry wrenched from her body violently as Celeste cried out her name. _“Keema!”_ Reyes stood behind her and motioned for the soldiers to take Keema away. Celeste felt as if the air had been sucked from her body. Keema had been shot when she was supposed to be watching out for her. She let herself get distracted and now Keema was dead, _because of her._ Celeste could handle any of the consequences that affected her personally, but it was another when they hurt someone else.

 _Pathfinder, it appears a sniper’s bullet is the culprit. There is a hole in the window that matches a high velocity impact._ SAM’s voice did little to ease the self-loathing in Celeste’s heart. _There is little you could have done Celeste. The sniper was too far for even my scans to detect them._ SAM did his best to comfort the pathfinder as he recognized the rising emotion in her body. The hand on her shoulder jolted her from the miserable thoughts.

“Ryder, we need to leave. They’ll likely target you as well.” Celeste nodded numbly. He led her out of the building and through Kadara’s marketplace. Her pallor worried him. She saw it in his eyes, but she couldn’t dredge up the words to comfort him. The wound was still too raw to process anything. Celeste wanted to tell him she was fine, that she didn’t need an escort to the Tempest. She couldn’t even dredge up the few words it would have taken, the wall of emotion in her clogged her throat.

SAM must have announced their arrival to the Tempest for not a single crew member questioned why the Charlatan was on board the Initiative vessel. He helped Ryder get to her quarters and sat her down with a hushed murmur of comforting words, some she understood and some she did not. His tone was comforting, which was strangely odd for him. Reyes went out to the galley and saw Cora already there.

“SAM told us what happened.” Cora told him as she handed the smuggler the mug. “While I despise it, you are what she needs right now. Don’t you dare use her feelings for you and twist them. If you hurt her there won’t be any place for you to hide.” The indigo energy sparked around her fists as her biotics flared up.

“I have no intention of hurting the Pathfinder.” Reyes told her, but Cora noticed he didn’t meet her eyes. That worried her as much as it enraged her. He could lie to her like that when it came to Celeste, Cora would remember this. He grabbed the hot chocolate and turned on his heel to go back to Celeste. She had stripped off the dress and lounged in that awful tank top with her hair cascading down her back.

“Here.” She looked up and he winced at the bleakness in her normally vibrant eyes. “Celeste,” he paused as her body jerked. He never used her name anymore, it was always ‘Pathfinder’ or ‘Ryder’ whenever she had to deal with him. It had to be that way so he wouldn’t succumb to his own feelings. “It is not your fault.” He brushed the auburn curls from her face as the tears welled up in her eyes. The need to comfort was too strong in him, but he needed to stay objective. Which was a farce as he had never been able to remain objective when it came to the Pathfinder.

“Logically I know. SAM told me even his scans couldn’t pick up on the sniper. Too far away.” She rubbed at her eyes and saw the black smudge from the mascara on her hands. Hysterical laughter bubbled up in her chest as she could only imagine what her face looked like. She shook her head and looked over at Reyes while she sipped the hot chocolate. “You shouldn’t be here with me. You need to attend to Collective business.” The dismissal was weak at best, but she truly didn’t have it in her anymore to fight. She just wanted to be alone and deal with her emotions, like always. The burning in the back of her throat intensified as she tried to keep the tears at bay. Black streaked down her cheeks from the running mascara, but Celeste didn’t care. She couldn’t fight back the tears anymore, and they were silent as they slid down her face. He needed to pull his organization together, with Keema being gone they were vulnerable. Celeste knew it and knew she needed the isolation to grieve for Keema.

“Celeste, I want to make sure you’re all right.” Reyes murmured as he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. His hands came up to cup her cheeks as he turned her face towards his. The tears spilled over into silent sobs as she clutched at the sleeve of his jacket with one hand. Her shoulders shook from them, but not a sound escaped her lips. Reyes was stunned by it. _How often did she do this? To learn to cry silently?_ He took the coffee mug from her and set it on the table. Celeste gulped in air to ease the burning in her lungs as he scooped her onto his lap. She shook her head, she’d fall apart if he was nice to her now. She pushed against his shoulder in a silent plea for him to let her go, but he shifted his grip to keep her there. Her fingers dug into the front of his clothing as she felt the suppressed sobs shaking her body. She was falling apart, but she was powerless to stop it. The grief and helplessness twisted in her until the dam broke. Her cries bounced off the walls of her room as he kept her pressed against his shoulder, the gut wrenching anguish was clear in those sobs. It pulled at him to hear it in her voice, when she was always quick to smile for anyone. He held her as she sobbed, and kept holding her as the sobs faded into quiet shudders and then to stillness. The rise and fall of her chest was deep and even, and he knew sleep had taken the Pathfinder. He pressed a kiss to her temple, inhaling her comforting scent, as he stood with her in his arms. She murmured in her sleep before turning her face to press against his chest. The bed creaked as he placed her sleeping form on it, the pathfinder rolling on her side and curling into a ball, a vulnerable position and one that spoke of her feelings. He raked a hand through his hair, pulling the mask off in one jerky movement. He did have things to wrap up, but they could be done on board the Tempest. He eyed SAM’s terminal warily as it blinked at him.

 _“Mr. Vidal, would you like me to encrypt your transmissions?”_ The AI’s mechanical voice never failed to unnerve Reyes. He knew that Ryder and SAM were part of each other, that was obvious after he found out about the Archon’s ship and Meridian.

“Yes. Thank you, SAM.” Reyes acknowledged defeat and allowed the AI to help him ensure his communications remained private. He sat by Celeste’s side on the bed after he had peeled off his jacket and boots. Celeste slept through his emails and messages to subordinates. Those that received the messages would pass along to the others. Order had to be kept so secrets could stay in the shadows. Sleep called to him as a siren would after his last message. The Charlatan settled down next to Celeste and let her even breathing lull him into a dreamless sleep.


	8. Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the masquerade. Celeste finally gets a chance to apologize to Reyes, but he's still keeping something from her.

Celeste slowly came awake and reached for the other side of her bed. Her fingers brushed cool sheets, the other person that was there was gone. Jerking awake suddenly, she sat up to look around her quarters. Her heart thundered in her ears as she felt panic rising, hoping he hadn’t left her in the night. Not after she finally had a chance to apologize for her actions and words from that time. Her hand brushed her disheveled auburn hair out of her face as she searched frantically around the room for the familiar face.

“Reyes?” The words were a whisper as she saw the dim orange flicker near her terminal. Reyes sat at her desk looking at something on his omni-tool intently, his face hardened in displeasure. _The Charlatan,_ it sent a shiver down her spine to think of what he could be capable of. Celeste felt relief bubble up inside, he hadn’t left. Sheets rustled softly in the room as she slid out of bed and padded over to the door. She didn’t want to disturb him from whatever Collective work he was doing, and she told herself it wasn’t an excuse. She didn’t want to talk yet, she needed to gather her courage first, and wash off the mascara she was sure was smeared over her face now.

“Going somewhere _mi sirena?_ ” Celeste froze as she stood in front of the door. Her hands tugged at the edge of her tank top and the dawning realization she wasn’t wearing pants. Heat infused her face as she kept her face straight ahead. This was totally new territory for her, no one had ever seen her this naked before. Except maybe Ryan when they were younger, but not since puberty. She hadn’t trusted anyone to get close enough for anything intimate, not until Reyes. She’d decided she would be with Reyes but then, _then_ he’d revealed he’d lied to her. The shock had sucked the breath from her as if she’d been punched in the chest. Celeste had been unable to move beyond the fact that he had manipulated her, and it made her question everything in their relationship thus far.

“Just going to take a shower.” Celeste’s voice shook only slightly from the embarrassment. Nerves rattled her stomach as she kept her face averted. Reyes looked over and took in the picture she made. Disheveled hair fell to her shoulders in waves, the tantalizing blush graced her cheeks, and those endless legs. His eyes slid over her with appreciation lighting his eyes before she dashed through the now open door, towel clutched tightly to her chest. He chuckled at her shyness, not in meanness but affectionately. She was an enigma the way she acted, so shy and reticent with him. He gazed down at his omni-tool as another message popped up, urgent this time. SAM had made sure his channels would be secure while he addressed his lieutenants. He heard the shower running and shifted to get more comfortable, which was difficult with the images running through his head. His hands running over her slick skin, warm from the water, as she pressed against him had his cock twitch in his pants. A quick, stuttering breath was the only thing that gave him away before he ruthlessly pushed the images away. There was too much to plan, too much that hinged on him keeping a clear head. He didn’t have time to imagine what the Pathfinder looked like naked, she was the key to his plans.

Celeste came back in a few minutes later, hair wrapped up in a towel. She’d put on some boxers that reached her knees and an oversized Initiative shirt. They were very obviously made for a man and a shot of irrational jealousy went through him at the sight. The collar was wide and slid off one shoulder, exposing the pale skin. He noted that she seemed to avoid eye contact with him, awkwardness stiffened her shoulders, and a half smile curled on his lips. He could use the awkwardness to his advantage and filed it away for later.

“Reyes.” Celeste turned to face him suddenly, her green eyes free of the earlier awkwardness, and were instead full of determination. He lowered his omni-tool and turned slightly to face her. The flush graced her cheeks once again but he saw the determination in her shoulders. “We need to talk.”

“I agree. Perhaps you should get dressed in something less distracting, hmm?” He motioned with his hand to indicate her current clothing choice. The laugh rumbled out of his chest as he saw her entire face flame red. She stood and drew the shirt up over her shoulder.

“Fine. I’ll get changed but you need to leave while I do so.” Celeste told him in an irritated tone. He turned in the chair and shrugged. He ignored her spluttering protest. He wasn’t going to leave these quarters, he knew that her crew would take any advantage of him being alone to interrogate him. He didn’t want to deal with the conflict at the moment.

“I do not trust your crew _mi sirena._ I’m afraid I may be injured if I leave the room without you. I promise to be on my best behavior.” Celeste arched one eyebrow at his innocent tone. She didn’t believe that for a minute but she had no choice. She’d forgotten to bring anything with her into the shower and had grabbed some of Ryan’s clothes that he’d left there the one time he’d travelled with them on the Tempest. Celeste grumbled as she went over to her dresser and pulled out some clothes. She doubted she’d gotten dressed this quickly since she had been in the Alliance boot camp. Her back had faced Reyes the entire time and she turned as she slid the hoodie into place, and met his honey colored eyes sparkling with heated amusement. She felt the heat crawl up her face as the truth dawned.

“You… You.” Her face turned bright red from enraged mortification. “I don’t know why I trusted you to keep your back turned.” She blew out an irritated breath before she went over to the couch. Celeste was calling herself all kinds of a fool for doing that. It would be best if she forgot all about that kiss from the night before.

“I was on my best behavior. I did not turn until you were clothed.” The cocksure grin on his face made her sigh in irritation. She didn’t know if she could trust his words, and she knew there was no way she’d get the absolute truth from him. He had no reason to tell her the truth. There were more important things to discuss than his potentially looking at her changing. The mere thought that he’d seen her naked made her grimace in embarrassment, but she had to move on.

“Fine. You were on your best behavior.” She grumbled as she picked up one of the data pads. “Look. I need to tell you something Reyes.” Her eyes swept up to meet his, uncertainty in them. “I wanted to apologize for what I said back then. About everything.” Celeste felt the regret press against her chest, tightening in her throat. “It was completely out of line. I was hurt and lashing out to hurt you in the same way. It was wrong.” She felt the air crackle around them as he stiffened in the chair. She interpreted it as he was upset with her and she rushed through the rest of it. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you or hear your side of things.” The short exhale was shaky at best. “I didn’t want to listen. I didn’t want to hear you rationalize why you had to keep your identity a secret. Please accept that I’m sorry for hurting you with my words. And that I regret any hurt I dealt to you.” She looked up at him with a tight smile, her hopes pinned on that apology. She also knew that he rarely forgave any slights. She only wanted to apologize for her words. Forgiveness was not something she expected nor did she think he’d give her, but the apology was off her chest now. She cast her eyes downwards as the silence dragged on and felt the sharp burn in her chest. _Can’t blame him if he didn’t forgive me. I don’t really deserve it._ Celeste breathed in a ragged breath as the burn spread over her chest. It felt like tiny needles pricking her skin. The only sound was the gentle beep of the monitors. Rustling fabric caught her attention and she felt him move, she flinched as he stood in front of her.

Reyes stared down at the Pathfinder who sat, hunched in front of him. A myriad of emotions stormed inside him. Anger that she’d think an apology would fix anything, relief that she didn’t completely hate him, and regret for what he was still going to have to do. Reyes didn’t think she’d ever apologize and this threw a wrench into his carefully crafted plans. Which he would never tell Celeste, it was something he needed to keep her in the dark with. Though he knew what would make her relax, the one thing that would bring her trust back to him.

“Celeste.” She cringed at his tone, she couldn’t place what emotion was there. She grabbed her upper arms in a defensive measure, trying to curl into herself, as he dropped down to his knees in front of her. He saw her movement and understood it was in anticipation for his rejection. “Celeste.” He reached out and cupped her cheeks. He tilted her face up to him, his hands gentle on her skin. Her eyes cautiously lifted to his, he saw the emotion brimming there. “I deserved your anger. I wasn’t honest with you when I should have been. I should have trusted your judgment when it came to being the Charlatan. The fact you’ve kept my secret this long is a credit to you.” Reyes murmured as her eyes flickered over his face. It was damned hard to keep the mask up sometimes. “I accept your apology.” His thumbs stroked her cheeks as the first tear slid down, her face cupped gently in his hands. The wobbly smile curved on her lips and a short laugh bubbled up inside her and spilled over. His omni-tool alerted him to an incoming message and he cursed inwardly. His eyes dipped to it and saw it was one he couldn’t ignore. Celeste pulled back and straightened, the shining emotion brought under control, it was meaningless to get hopes up. There was too much between them to forget, and she needed to remember who he was.

“You have business to attend to.” Her voice was unsteady, but she cleared her throat. “You didn’t have to stay last night. So, thank you.” Celeste smiled at him, the awkwardness back in her face. Reyes stood suddenly and she stood as well.

“We need to resolve what’s between us Ryder.” The back of his fingers stroked her cheek, sending a shiver down her spine. “But it can wait until this business with Kaetus is over.” He stepped back away from her, her body already missed his nearness. Celeste cursed inwardly about her body’s reaction to him, like a cat in heat. Even if they’d never gone beyond kissing before.

“Right. SAM’s currently working on pinpointing the locations that he could be at.” Celeste sighed as she looked over at SAM’s terminal. She familiar blue orb flickering in the soft lighting of her quarters.

 _“Correct. It is a long process as I am currently cross referencing several points of interest on the planet’s surface.”_ The mechanical voice washed over Celeste and still gave Reyes a start. They were getting close and he had to hurry up with the next part of his plan.

“I see.” Reyes looked at SAM suspiciously but Celeste trusted him. “Well, I’d best head back to the port to deal with the fallout from Keema’s death.” Reyes turned to see the pain shadow those beautiful jade eyes. “I am sorry Celeste.”

“No. I was the one who was supposed to look out for her at the party.” Reyes opened his mouth to interrupt but she shook her head, the towel still snug around her hair. “I was. Another thing I should apologize for. Maybe when the grief isn’t so strong in me I can make a proper apology.” The tight smile held in all the pain she’d felt upon Keema’s death. The memory of the blood pooling on the floor, soaking through her shoes ran through her mind. Hysteria threatened to bubble up again and she ruthlessly leashed it. Celeste reminded herself to throw out the shoes. The shock had settled into her bones, her mind had gone blank. Another thing to be thankful to Reyes for, sweeping her out of the headquarters and back to the Tempest.

“I won’t argue then. You have your mind set.” Reyes pulled up his omni-tool and his face hardened. Celeste knew that look, it was his mask he wore when he had to be the Charlatan. She’d seen it before but it had never occurred to her, back then, that it was anything other than bad memories. “I need to go deal with this.” Celeste nodded and walked him out of the Tempest. Her crew was milling about in the port, thankfully, and Kallo kept his silence. The airlock doors slid shut behind him and her shoulders slumped in defeat. She turned to her pilot and saw the sympathy in his large eyes.

“Kallo. Something’s brewing in Kadara and I don’t think I like it.” Celeste murmured. Worry and the feeling that something wasn’t right. She couldn’t shake the nagging feeling, it was riding her back like her pet pyjax.

“Don’t blame you Ryder. There’s always something shady going on in Kadara.” Kallo looked over at the Pathfinder. She stood in her bare feet with a towel wrapped around her hair, staring at the door with a look laced with unease on her face. “Will you trust him again?” Normally, Kallo didn’t want to pry, but he’d seen the devastated look on Celeste’s face after the unveiling of the Charlatan. It was the one thing he didn’t want to see on her face again, and he had to know where she stood this time.

“No. No. I learned my lesson last time.” Celeste turned on her bare heel and walked back towards her quarters to finish getting ready.


	9. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste goes to investigate sightings of Kaetus again. This time they uncover a plot to attack Diteon, and Celeste needs to know where Reyes stands. But when she arrives at the port, will she regret her decision?

_Pathfinder, if you have a moment. I have finished compiling my analysis of known sightings of the turian Kaetus_. SAM’s mechanical voice rolled through Celeste’s head as she sat in her quarters examining a data pad from the Nexus.

“Go ahead SAM. What have you found out?” Celeste set the pad down on the table and stood. She stretched, her muscles singing in relief, and padded over to SAM’s terminal. She always found it more comforting to talk to his terminal when they were in her quarters. She wore her silly Blast-O tank top that she’d won in one of those raffle drawings before leaving the Milky Way. She and Ryan had both won tank tops, and the look on their father’s face when they strolled into the living room had been worth every single snicker on the street.

 _“It appears that the Outcasts have been collecting their resources in three locations on Kadara. Based on the reported sightings of Kaetus and Outcast activity, these are the most likely locations he would be.”_ SAM sent the information to her omni-tool. Celeste looked it over and nodded as the data scrolled past her.

“Right. Well, I’ll see what the team wants to handle first.” Celeste grinned at the terminal. She forced herself to be cheerful. That was how she normally was. Celeste knew that her team would see through the façade, but if she tried hard enough. If she tried hard enough it would convince even herself she was happier. The heavy sigh left her lips as she padded towards the corridor.

 _Pathfinder, a moment if I may. It appears that during my scans of the known Outcast locations I have come across distressing biometric scans. They match Mr. Vidal’s scans Ryder._ Celeste closed her eyes against the pain that hit her harder than a krogan’s fist. She didn’t know what to make of SAM’s assessment. It could be a mistake, but Ryder was more inclined to believe the AI.

“Thanks SAM.” _Another moment Pathfinder. There is something I should discuss with you. Something your father implemented a few hours before landing on Habitat 7._ “What?” Celeste knew SAM was speaking on their private channel, so whatever the AI needed to say was sensitive. _It is about a new protocol he invented for me. Protocol Zeta._ Celeste listened as SAM described it to her and she shook her head. What had her father been thinking, creating something like that? Celeste figured he must not have liked the look of the planet either. “Do the other Pathfinders have access to this protocol?” _Negative, you are the only Pathfinder that has access to this code._ A sigh of relief blew past her lips as the weight left her shoulders. The other Pathfinders didn’t need to know about this protocol, it sounded too dangerous. “Thanks SAM. I’m going to call the crew together to see about this new information you found.” She headed up to the meeting room, her mind whirling about the protocol, Kaetus, and Reyes.

“Which location do we want to focus on first? It’s best to use as much stealth as possible.” Celeste straightened from her perch against the railing and crossed her arms over her chest. The team was reluctant to pursue the matter about Reyes, and they’d focused on the locations. They needed to approach this situation with caution since Kaetus could use anything to his advantage.

“Why not start with the first one? Hit them before they hit Diteon.” Cora suggested. “We already know Kaetus is gunning for Ryder. He blames her for Sloane’s death. He may target Diteon as a way to flush her out into the open.”

“And grief can make one do unimaginable things. There is also the matter that Kaetus can target Ryder first, which would leave Diteon vulnerable.” Jaal murmured as his steady blue eyes studied the Pathfinder as well. He knew she was used to being a target, her father had ensured that by making her Pathfinder. She bore the weight well and rarely burdened anyone with her problems. The only time he’d seen a sparkle in her eye was when they’d land in Kadara, and when her brother had woken up. That sparkle was gone now when it came to Kadara. Lost when the Charlatan revealed himself. Celeste had seemed to deflate a bit when she learned who the Charlatan was. Jaal mentally shook himself to get back on track.

“Yeah. I know Kaetus hates me. I heard him in the prison that time.” Celeste tightened her grip on her arms at the memory. The seething hatred burning in the turian’s eyes had unnerved her enough to take a step back. She regretted showing him that he affected her, but it had been instinctual. “We’ll check out the first location. SAM, send the coordinates to the Nomad.” She lowered her arms and looked at her crew gathered together. “Drack, Vetra. You’re with me this time.” Celeste told them as Drack grinned and laughed merrily at the promise of a fight.

“What are you planning on doing Pathfinder? Will you offer them mercy?” Liam piped up as Celeste turned towards the ramp. She paused and turned her head. The possibilities whirled through her mind but in the end, she knew what her answer would be. A shadow crossed her face, darkening her eyes into icy shards.

“I’ll offer them the mercy they would offer to me.” Celeste told him before walking down the ramp towards the cargo bay. Drack and Vetra were right behind her. The other crew stayed behind and Liam let out a low whistle.

“She’s right pissed off.” Liam chuckled nervously as the Pathfinder cleared the research room. Cora turned to Liam and nodded in agreement. She’d seen how Celeste had been when the fireball had exploded around them. They needed to find out where Kaetus was so they could get rid of him.

“I can hardly blame her. Kadara has been nothing but headaches.” Cora calmly pointed out as they headed down the stairs as well.

“A cesspool.” Jaal’s voice threaded with venom at the thought of the port. The three of them headed down the ramp with Peebee trailing behind, silent for once. She was worried for Ryder as well, but Celeste seemed to be focusing on the present. Peebee appreciated that outlook but she wondered if the human might need to resolve some unresolved issues surrounding Reyes. Peebee wished there was something she could do, but short of going behind Ryder’s back and emailing Reyes, there wasn’t anything she _could_ do. Betrayal was one thing Peebee would never do, she’d seen what had happened to Celeste the first time. The Pathfinder did not offer her trust easily, which made it more precious. Peebee would never do anything to endanger that trust in her.

“So, this is the first location that AI of yours told us to look at?” Drack grunted as they stopped the Nomad out of sight of the building. Celeste nodded as they began the trek up the small hill. The terrain offered good spots for cover, it wasn’t open enough for a frontal assault. Though the small strike team could come in and sweep it easily enough. Since that was their goal, the terrain worked in their favor.

“Yeah. This is the first location. Looks like there is some activity…” Celeste sighed as she heard the lookout alert the base about their presence. “Well crap. So much for the stealthy approach huh?” The heavy sigh filtered through the curses from Drack as Celeste pulled out her assault rifle. She’d traded her Valkyrie for a Mattock since she let her assault turret do most of the fighting for her.

“They just don’t know when to give it up do they?” Vetra laughed as she ducked behind a rock. The thugs the Outcasts hired had shitty aim and the bullets missed her cover by a solid six inches at times. The dull sound of the impacts against compacted soil almost drowned out anything else.

“Are they even trying?” Drack laughed as he pulled out his shotgun. Celeste’s mind whirled with possibilities and she turned towards where the Nomad was. Her eyes narrowed and she saw the light reflect off the scope. Her eyes widened and her hands shook as one word whipped through her mind. Her heart hammered in her chest as she opened her mouth.

“Sniper!” The scream barely left her mouth before the bullet found its way to the rock beside her helmet. Shrapnel pummeled the dark blue visor of her helmet. Fear snaked down her spine as she scrambled to the side. The sound of her heart thundered in her ears as she fought to keep her breathing from being erratic as she had to focus. Her father had drummed it into her head that if she couldn’t calm her breathing during a firefight, she could forget hitting her targets. Celeste wished she had some of her father’s calmness at the moment since her heart felt like it was running in the Olympics.

“They’re keeping us pinned here for the damn sniper! Guess they’re smarter than I thought. What are we going to do Ryder?” Vetra called out. The turian looked over and saw the bullet hole a few inches from Ryder’s head and felt her heart drop into her stomach. They’d suspected someone was really after Ryder, but now they had proof. The Outcasts truly were gunning for the Pathfinder. They’d resorted to smarter tactics, this wasn’t their usual go to methods. Someone, most likely Kaetus, was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

“I’ll handle this.” Drack announced as he saw the hole. Rage boiled in his chest as he saw how close they’d come to losing the Pathfinder. He’d grown close to the pipsqueak over the months of traveling on the Tempest. She’d helped him nail Spender to the wall and save the seed vault that the krogan babies needed. All without asking anything in return. To think he’d come that close to losing a good friend… Red hazed the edges of his vision.

“Wait.” Celeste told him as she swung out her arm to grab his elbow. “This is what they want. I’ve got an idea.” Celeste knew the sniper wanted them to be angry and run at the Outcasts in the building. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place, literally. Drack looked down at Celeste as she ducked down in front of a small rock. The rocks offered partial cover between her and the sniper. Her omni-tool lit up as her fingers flew across it. The Observer unit materialized in front of her and went after the Outcasts. Zap beeped merrily as it flew over to the raiders. The curses flew everywhere as they realized it was attacking them.

“Zap buys us some time. Come on.” Celeste motioned for them to follow as she took off at a sprint towards the building. Vetra and Drack looked at one another in confused silence before they followed Celeste. Normally Celeste was a bit more level headed when it came to battles. She charged across the battlefield and her gaze fixated on one target. The grenade was ready to launch but she had to make sure she had a clear shot. A stack of crates next to the walkway came into view and her green eyes lit in delight. The Outcasts tried to fire at her, but Zap would target any of them shooting at Celeste. The protocols for the Observer unit were crystal clear. Fuck up anyone messing with Ryder. Celeste took a running jump up onto the stack of crates, clearing the railing with ease. Several Outcasts screamed as she came into view, landing in a crouch right in front of them. The soldiers barely had time to react before she was off at another sprint, her lungs burning from the exertion. Her legs were already protesting the strenuous pace she set to get to the canisters. She knew she’d pay dearly later for pushing herself to her limits, but those gas canisters were within her sight. One well placed grenade and the place would go up in flames.

“She’s after the fuel!!” The squad leader screamed above the melee. Celeste saw one big turian in her way, but a quick grin split her face. She ran past him and patted his chest as she pivoted into a spin past him. For once she was thankful for Ellen’s insistence in dancing lessons. The turian growled at her until the flashing light on his chest caught his attention. “Fuck.” The grenade exploded, sending him flying into the side of the building. Celeste tripped a bit as the force of the grenade propelled forward. She regained her balance as her pace went back to sprinting speeds. Her goal was still in sight and she made it to within throwing distance. The canisters exploded and set the place ablaze in fire. The remaining Outcasts focused on escaping, but Vetra and Drack prevented that lot from getting away.

“Now we can investigate.” Celeste murmured as she headed inside the building. The terminal by the wall looked the most promising. “SAM, can you get anything off of this?’ _A moment Pathfinder._ Celeste turned to see Drack and Vetra stroll in the door and a puff of air left her chest as she realized it wasn’t an enemy. Her finger eased off the trigger of her pistol. She would be so thankful when this was done.

“Nice going kid. There aren’t any survivors. Made sure of that.” Drack grinned at the human. Celeste nodded even as her gut twisted at the words. Death never sat comfortable with her. She disliked killing and preferred other means of settling conflict. Though she knew that death and killing were inevitable in some situations.

 _“Pathfinder. I have finished analyzing the terminal.”_ SAM’s voice chirped out from her omni-tool. “Go ahead SAM.” Celeste told him as she looked around the cramped room. _“The terminal specifies an attack on Diteon in the near future. The Outcasts were amassing a stockpile of weapons to attack in an attempt to lure you out into the open.”_ The room was filled with curses as Vetra and Drack both loudly demonstrated their opinions but Celeste’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. She was suspicious of the timing of the emails. Something told her she was being lead into a trap and she wasn’t able to shake the feeling. It had dug its claws into her mind and refused to let go.

“Hey SAM. Can you determine when the message originated?” The AI agreed to analyze the data to find out an exact date. _“Pathfinder, the data was added within the last ten minutes.”_ “Thanks SAM.” She turned to Vetra and Drack. “So, they added in that information after we were already here.” Celeste murmured as she grasped her chin in her hand.

“Ryder, this isn’t good.” Vetra looked over at Ryder who nodded in agreement. There was little that could be done at this point. She had to prepare Diteon for the attack, and hoped Mayor Tate could handle the outpost in case Kaetus drew her into another area.

“Yeah. I know. They’re targeting Diteon, which doesn’t sit well with me at all. SAM, encrypt a message to send to Tate and let him know what we found. On the off chance this isn’t some elaborate lie.” SAM agreed and sent the message. “I need to go to the port. Kian may know a way to get in touch with Reyes.” She saw the look in Vetra’s eyes and saw the annoyed flicker of her mandibles. “If he’s with the Outcasts then he knows about the attack on Diteon. I need to know where he stands exactly. If he’s kept _this_ from me then I know where our alliance stands.” Celeste told Vetra. The turian didn’t like it but there was little she could do to convince Ryder otherwise. That tone told her Celeste was set on this, and nothing would change her mind. It made Vetra uneasy, the way those scans said Reyes was with Kaetus. Kaetus had a motive for targeting Celeste, but Vetra couldn’t see the benefit in allying with him. Reyes was a smart man, and he’d see that going after the Pathfinder was not the most profitable choice. She hoped that SAM’s scans were wrong and that Reyes was not affiliated with the Outcasts. For everyone’s sake.

The trip to the port was short and silent. Tension ran high in the vehicle as no one wanted to speak for fear of starting an argument. Celeste told them to wait for her as she approached Tartarus. The nightclub still had the familiar neon lights, the ever present bass rattling her chest, but something seemed off. Kian didn’t look up from his glasses and the dancers refused to meet her eyes. The hairs on the back of Celeste’s arms and neck rose in apprehension. Celeste regretted changing into her Initiative clothing instead of keeping her armor on. She had wanted to appear nonthreatening for the residents on the port, so they wouldn’t have to worry about the Pathfinder being a threat. Now she wished for her armor to cover her vulnerable spots. Her body moved towards the stairs and she saw the dread in one of the dancer’s eyes that quickly looked away once she noticed Celeste’s stare. Panic sent her heart fluttering as she kept one hand by her pistol. Something was going on and she was going to regret it. She knew if she walked through those doors that something would happen, something bad. Nerves churned her stomach as she broke out into a cold sweat. The doors to Reyes’ private quarters hissed open and her eyes danced around the room nervously. The room was darkened and that gave her pause. The room was never dark, it was dimly lit but there was always a light. Fear slithered down her spine and tightened around her heart like a python ready to attack its prey. Alarm burst on her senses as she realized that was what she felt like, prey. Someone was watching her like a hunter watched a deer.

“Ah, _mi sirena._ Come in.” The sultry voice swept over her ears and she relaxed somewhat. Reyes was the only one who called her that, and she wasn’t sure anyone else knew it. She stepped into the room and felt the air move beside her. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the turian standing there with hatred glittering in his diamond bright eyes. His hand swept out and Celeste felt his fist connect with her midsection. She had no time to react as its solid strength dug into her stomach. The hacking cough was the only sound she made as her breath left her body. Her vision greyed at the edges as she fell to her knees.

“Now I’ve got you. The Pathfinder is in my custody. Prepare the hideout.” Kaetus squatted down beside her. He grabbed her hair and viciously yanked it back, Celeste felt tears well up in her eyes as the pain splintered across her scalp. “We’re going to have some _fun_ Pathfinder.” Her eyes widened as fear churned her stomach into knots. The pain pulsed in time with her heartbeat as she tried to get her breath back. Kaetus looked up as another figure stepped from the shadows. Celeste felt the shock go down to her toes, and her vision greyed from the pain. It couldn’t be. _No,_ she thought as she looked into those familiar amber colored eyes, _no it can’t be._ Her eyes burned with the unshed tears as the betrayal cut like a knife across her throat. No doubt Kaetus itched to hold the knife. “Well done Vidal. Now we both get our revenge.” Kaetus chuckled darkly as he swung out and Celeste’s vision went black.


	10. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaetus now has Celeste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so trigger warning. Torture ahead. Skip to half way through the chapter to avoid any of the more graphic descriptions. Or just to the end if you want to avoid reading about any kind of graphic violence.

Celeste groaned as she slowly regained consciousness. Her jaw was stinging like someone took a sledgehammer to it. Considering it was a turian’s fist, a very pissed off and hellbent on revenge fist, it was no wonder her face felt like it was on fire. The wound pulsed in time to her heart, she clenched her teeth to concentrate past it. She felt her arms suspended over her head, the cold metal of chains clinking as she twitched. Nerves screamed in agony as she moved her body, she must have been hanging for quite some time them. She was still alive, so SAM was still connected to her. She only wondered why he hadn’t sent out a message or sent something out to have her be rescued.

“Awake Pathfinder?” The cold, sneering tone caught her attention and she looked up to see Kaetus standing there. Celeste had faced down numerous foes and had died three times. The look in Kaetus’ eyes sent fear racing icily along her nerves. Celeste figured if the Grim Reaper had a face, it would resemble his. She saw her death in his eyes, and this time she didn’t think SAM could save her. He stopped when he stood in front of her, and he grabbed her chin in a painful grip, his talons slicing into the skin around her jaw. The metallic smell of blood permeated the air and panic settled in her gut. Nausea churned as she faced down Sloane’s former lieutenant. He forced her to look up at him. “You’re going to pay for what you did to Sloane.” Celeste would be damned if she’d give Kaetus the satisfaction of seeing her fear. She met his eyes with a steady gaze, unflinching from the fury in his. “You’ll learn what fear is Pathfinder.”

“I’ve been killed three times Kaetus. I’ve faced down the Archon, _twice._ ” Celeste told him, her voice flat and stubborn. She may not make it out of this alive, but she would be _damned_ if she’d give him the satisfaction of knowing he scared her. “And I still came back. Don’t think you scare me.” Celeste glared at him as she felt the warm trickle of her blood flow down her throat. The blow was unexpected and stars danced in front of her eyes as the turian backhanded her jaw. Her face twisted to the side with the blow. Pain exploded in her cheek as the blow cut the inside of her cheek against her teeth. The blood tasted coppery and the stinging radiated across her face. She saw the furious glee in his eyes as the blood trickled out of her mouth from the cuts inside her cheek.

“You will know fear Pathfinder.” Kaetus told her in a low growl, giving her the turian’s equivalent of a jackal’s smile. Celeste felt her heart stutter as she saw death snarling at her. She shook herself mentally and hoped SAM could get a signal out to the crew.

“You won’t break me Kaetus.” Celeste laughed as she coughed from the blood. The coppery taste overwhelming her, nausea built in her stomach at the overwhelming knowledge she wasn’t going to make it out of this unscathed. She had to know, the question was burning in the back of her mind. But she’d rather bite off her tongue than ask him.

“Oh, I think we’ll find out just how tough you are Pathfinder.” Kaetus told her in a mocking tone. He turned around and Celeste blanched at the knife in his hand. “Oh, don’t worry. We need you alive so I’m afraid I won’t be able to kill you. _Yet. _” Celeste shivered at his words. Kaetus went over and placed the blade against her arm. “Let’s test how sharp it is hmm?” Celeste cried out as the blade pierced through her shirt and skin like butter.__

Kaetus watched the crimson liquid seeped through the crisp Initiative white of her uniform. A sick sense of glee filled him at giving her pain. Something had snapped in him when he realized the Pathfinder and the Charlatan had conspired to kill Sloane. He’d taken care of the Charlatan and now it was the Pathfinder’s turn. Any bit of rational being left in him was gone with her death. He’d clawed his way out of that fucking stasis pod and knew what desperation felt like. He would never forgive the woman in front of him for taking Sloane away, the one _fucking_ bright spot in that whole galaxy. He had to keep the Pathfinder alive, much to his displeasure, but nothing was said about unharmed. Kaetus was going to enjoy this, she’d be begging for death by the time he was done.

The slice felt like fire licking across her skin. Celeste wondered if Kaetus had put something on the blade to make it burn. Her chest burned as she fought panic, it was like trying to leash a great fearsome beast. His fist plowed into his stomach again. Spots danced in front of her vision and it darkened at the corners. Pain exploded in her abdomen, pulsating outwards. She coughed, the blood flying from her mouth. It hurt to breathe in, which meant a bruised or broken rib. Her breath came in wheezy bursts after his last solid punch.

“You are stubborn. I’ll give you that.” Kaetus turned his eyes to her downcast head. “But that will make my victory all the sweeter.” He murmured as he set the knife down. He whirled around and slammed his fist upwards into her jaw, snapping her jaw up against the roof of her mouth. Celeste felt her teeth rattle inside her head, as her head snapped back. Blood pooled in her mouth, oozing out from between her lips. She spat the blood out before turning her eyes back to him. He saw the pain in her eyes, but that stubbornness wouldn’t leave her.

“Oh and don’t count on your little AI friend to help you. Vidal mentioned you had him so we put a scrambler on the place to block him from getting an accurate feed.” Celeste felt her stomach drop to the floor at the mention of Reyes. There had been some hope that it had been a trick of the light, but now she knew for sure. He’d betrayed her and sent her straight into Kaetus’ hands. Straight into _this._ Celeste supposed she shouldn’t be surprised, she’d hurt him before. Though, she wasn’t able to figure out what she had done to deserve _this._ Celeste cried out as Kaetus slashed at her arms hanging above her head with his talons. Her blood dripped to the floor, a steady drip that she focused her attention on. Anything to keep her mind away from what was being done to her. She could endure the pain, _had_ to endure the pain, until someone could come for her.

A few hours later Kaetus paused to catch his breath. He gave the human credit, she was still not breaking. He was practically panting from the beating he’d given her, he did admit he got a little out of hand, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with some medigel. Reyes said he needed the Pathfinder alive if they were to gain control over the outpost on Kadara. Kaetus hissed out a laugh as he remembered the look in the smuggler’s eyes when he said he wanted revenge on the Pathfinder for killing Zia. Kaetus looked at the Pathfinder, her head hanging down as her arms kept her aloft. The bruises blossomed over her face in a flowering purple color. Her face was swollen, the blood trickling down from various cuts on her face and body. The broken nose had already stopped bleeding, the blood crusted on her chin and lips. Kaetus knew there were numerous injuries that he wouldn’t be able to see, but _she’d be able to feel._

Celeste wondered if it would be over soon. The turian was angry enough to kill her, but he refrained from it. That was puzzling, who was pulling his strings? Was it Reyes? Celeste’s mind couldn’t focus from the haze of pain floating over her like a morning fog. She summoned her strength and looked up at him. Pain was a constant companion, she didn’t even know what was injured. Her entire body throbbed from pain, head to toe, and it was hard to breathe from it. Ragged gasps of air were all she could manage through the agony in her chest. It felt like fire burned in her lungs when she tried to take a breath in or out. _Pretty sure he broke some of my ribs. Here’s to hoping they didn’t puncture my lungs…_ Celeste wished she had SAM to help her. _Oh SAM, of all times for them to get smart about you. It would be now._ Her green eyes, dull from the hours of constant beatings, looked up at Kaetus. She saw the perverse pleasure in his eyes and she recoiled internally from it. “What’s the matter Kaetus? Getting tired?” Her voice was low and hoarse from the screams earlier. She swallowed and winced at how raw her throat was. It felt like glass shards were embedded in it. She saw the fury snap into his eyes and felt his hand come around her throat. His talons slicing the skin as he grabbed her. She winced as he squeezed, her lungs burning as the air was cut off. The welcome black was at the edges of her vision, _finally_ the pain would stop. Instead, he released her throat and reached up. Her arms suddenly dropped as he unlocked the chain. Celeste screamed out as she collapsed on the ground in pain. Her weight amplified the damage he’d done to her body. Everything screamed in agony and Celeste felt her vision grey on the edges. Circulation returned viciously to her arms, thousands of needles stabbing her arms. She didn’t hear the door hiss open in front of her.

“Just in time Vidal. Now you can have a turn.” Kaetus chuckled and turned to face the door. Celeste looked up and saw Reyes standing in the doorway. She closed her eyes and tried to curl into herself. If he was here, she hoped he was here to kill her and get her away from this pain.

Reyes stared in at the scene. Celeste knelt on the floor, bloodied and broken, curled away from him. She didn’t lift her face to him and flinched as he took a step into the room. It was difficult to keep the shock off his face, he looked down at Celeste again as he felt the shock melt into blinding rage. Every ounce of discipline was used to keep from murdering the turian as he turned to face Kaetus. All his instincts screamed at him to end Kaetus for hurting Celeste. He clenched his fist, wishing it could hit the turian. “I thought there were explicit instructions not to harm the Pathfinder?”

“No, you said not to _kill_ the Pathfinder. Nothing about having a little fun.” Kaetus’ mandibles twitched as he saw how tense Reyes was. “Well, now you can have your chance to get revenge. Didn’t you say you wanted revenge for Zia?” Kaetus extended his hand to give him the knife. Celeste’s head snapped up and her eyes zeroed in on Reyes. He didn’t dare look at her, he feared he’d break if he did.

“This isn’t about personal revenge _Kaetus._ There were clear orders not to harm the Pathfinder. He’ll be very angry with you.” Reyes reminded him as the turian scoffed. Kaetus threw the knife down, the scream grabbing their attention. Kaetus turned and saw the knife he’d thrown carelessly had embedded itself in the Pathfinder’s forearm. Reyes turned and grabbed Kaetus by his collar. He slammed him against the wall, his amber eyes glittering with murderous intent.

“ _Enough._ She’s to be taken to see him and now what will I tell him? I’ll be sure he knows exactly how the Pathfinder got in this condition.” Reyes snarled at Kaetus. The turian felt a bead of sweat roll down his back at the ruthless look in those eyes. He had no doubt that Reyes would kill him without a second thought, but Kaetus wondered if this was really about the boss. There had been rumors around Kadara Port that the Pathfinder had been seen in the smuggler’s company before Sloane’s death.

“What’s the matter Vidal? Why so angry? Sad I didn’t save you some?” Kaetus laughed and coughed as the fist came out of nowhere. He crumpled to his knees from the force of it. Reyes had anger on his side and he wanted blood. He slammed his boot into Kaetus’ neck and sent the turian sprawling on his back, knocked unconscious. He spun to face Celeste and wilted when she flinched away from him.

“Ryder.” Reyes knelt in front of her, but she recoiled. Her head shook violently and she held up her good hand defensively in front of her face. It cut him like a knife to see her in such a state. His eyes roamed over her face and body to observe the damage. The cuts in her throat, her face, and her body sent rage roiling through his body. He reached out a hand and was shocked when she cringed, as if she expected him to hit her. _What did you expect Reyes? She thinks the worst now…_

“Just. Just get it over with.” Celeste whispered, her throat still sore from Kaetus’ torture. She peeked up to see Reyes staring at her with confusion in his eyes. “Stop acting like you care.” Her voice was just defeated. She didn’t even have anger anymore, Celeste just wanted this pain to end. Kaetus didn’t break her but Reyes could. She knew if he lifted a hand to her in anger, it would be done. She’d break like an unprotected window pane in a hurricane.

“Celeste.” Reyes murmured as he reached out for her but her eyes snapped up to him and his hand froze at the look in them. Like a feral animal pushed into a corner, ready to lash out in defense. “You weren’t supposed to be hurt.” He told her as he clenched his fist, her flinch shot an arrow of pain in his heart. He dropped his fist by his side as he brought up his omni-tool to scan her injuries. “You won’t believe me, but you weren’t.” The hoarse, barking laugh was his answer.

“So, your first thought was to leave me with the _one_ person in this _fucking_ galaxy who wanted me dead? What did you think would happen? That we’d play chess and drink tea like old buddies?” The harsh laugh slashed at her raw throat, but the pain wasn’t anywhere close to the pain in her heart. It felt like she’d swallowed ground glass whenever she had to speak. “Right. Tell me another one.” Celeste scooted back further from him, until her back hit a wall. An involuntary cry left her as she hit the bruises there. Reyes looked up from his omni-tool sharply, eyes scanning over her. “Your _friend_ was kind enough to keep his beatings to places that couldn’t be detected with my clothes on.” Celeste’s sarcasm never left her it seemed, even in this situation. _Well, sarcasm is all I have left. I can’t escape. Do I have enough in me to stand up? Can I even walk? Best not test this theory with Reyes in here._ Celeste’s eyes went over the room again and spotted the door open. If only she could speak to SAM. Reyes stood and went to stand over Kaetus. He spoke into his omni-tool soft, too soft for Celeste to hear. Not that she heard much over the slight ringing there. _He’s distracted._ Her eyes swung once more to the open door, her heart raced in her chest in a painful gallop, she knew this was her chance. Adrenaline kicked in and overshadowed most of her pain. The need to escape was greater than the pain, she _had_ to escape. Her jaw clenched around the pain and she forced herself into a standing position. Everything screamed at her in protest, tears flowed down her cheeks from the immense cloud of pain surrounding her body, but she had to get through it. She had _no choice_ but to get through that door. Her feverish mind equated the open door with escape, despite the fact she had no clue how to get out of where she was. She’d managed to take a few steps forward when Reyes turned and noticed her.

“Ryder. What are you doing?” He rushed over to her and wasn’t surprised when she lashed out. The blow hit him in the chest, but there was little of her normal strength behind it. He gently grabbed her wrist and she tugged, ignoring the biting pain that encompassed her arm when she did so.

“Let me go. _Please. Please_ Reyes. If I ever meant anything to you, anything at all. Please let me go. Let me escape.” Celeste begged with the tears flowing down her face. Each word struck Reyes like a blow, but he _couldn’t_ let her leave. It would ruin everything.

“I can’t.” He saw the light die in her eyes. She slumped against the wall, the pain sliding into numbness. “Ryder, you have to understand.” He began but Kaetus began to stir. The turian sat up slowly, disoriented from the vicious kick Reyes had given him.

“Did she try to escape Vidal?” Kaetus stood slowly and headed over to the pair. Reyes looked down at Celeste who just looked down at the hand in her lap. She looked so detached from everything, like she’d withdrawn into herself. Kaetus came over while he was distracted and slammed his foot onto her thigh. Celeste shrieked as the pain broke through the numbness. Reyes didn’t think, he merely acted. The sound of the gunshot echoed in the chamber, the pistol’s weight comforting in his hand. The confusion clouded the turian’s eyes as he looked down at Reyes. Reyes realized he’d made a mistake, this would unravel everything he’d worked at now.

“Go to hell. If the devil will have you.” Reyes snarled as he put the pistol back in its holster. “Ryder. There are going to be guards coming in here to check on the sound. I need you to play along or they’ll kill us both.” Reyes murmured as he tried to get her to look at him.

Celeste wanted to say it was fine. She wanted to say it was okay for him to die, but she _couldn’t._ Even after everything that had happened to her, some part of her didn’t want him to die. Celeste felt the tears well up in her eyes from the frustration and pain warring in her body. Instead she merely nodded in answer to his question. “The scrambler should be turning off any point now.” Reyes grumbled as he looked around.

 _Pathfinder. I am here._ Celeste felt the tears spill down her cheeks. SAM, she heard SAM. The scrambler must have been turned off. _Pathfinder, I am cataloguing your injuries and sending them to the Tempest._ Celeste shook her head but the AI wasn’t going to broker any argument. She heard loud voices in the hall and the door slid open to reveal a squad of four Outcast soldiers. They saw Kaetus lying on the floor, blood pooling beneath him. Then the Pathfinder huddled against the wall with Reyes kneeling in front of her.

“Vidal. What happened?” The voice was cold and ruthless. Celeste flashed back to Kaetus’ gleaming merciless eyes and her body began to shake uncontrollably.

“Your boss is what happened. He _knew_ our orders were to not harm the Pathfinder. He tortured her! Jalya will have _your_ heads for letting this happen.” That merciless tone and cold eyes was definitely the Charlatan speaking. Celeste shook her head as she looked between the men. One stepped forward with his pistol aimed at Reyes. Celeste shook her head again and felt the words leave her before she could think clearly.

“SAM! Activate Protocol Zeta, Pathfinder’s authorization! Activate biotic profile, vanguard!” _“Acknowledged Pathfinder. Activating Protocol Zeta now. Blocking all pain receptors.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art is done by the amazing Anafigreen on Tumblr.
>
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/1BRVoPn)
>
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/qy5ecAQ)
>
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/ABnH8qs)


	11. The Way Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Protocol Zeta active, will it help Celeste escape?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter after this and Fool Me Once is done.

“Ryder?” Reyes turned to look at Celeste as the words bounced off the walls of the room. He heard the AI’s voice. _“Acknowledged Pathfinder. Activating Protocol Zeta. Blocking pain receptors now.”_ The words were meaningless to him until he saw Celeste stand in a fluid motion. It was as if she didn’t feel pain, that’s when it hit him. SAM was really blocking all pain receptors to Celeste’s brain, she truly _didn’t_ feel any pain. Reyes had one moment to ponder what was going on before his reflexes had him dodging backwards as the biotic shockwave hit the squad straight on. He stared at Celeste who glowed with indigo light, the blue seeping into her green eyes. He had never seen her use biotics, had never assumed she could _use_ biotics. Yet here she was, her fist crackling with threatening blue energy.

“I’m leaving. _You won’t stop me._ ” She snarled at him as she turned towards the door. Protocol Zeta didn’t just block pain receptors, it gave additional boost to biotic abilities, boost to stamina, and manipulated her body to go beyond its limitations. The cost was high, there was a chance her brain could be fried. Celeste had to get out, any risk was worth that. She walked over to the open door. “SAM, how do I get out?” Reyes came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. He actually took a step back when her fist appeared in front of his face, the blue light pulsing threateningly.

“I don’t want to hurt you Reyes, but if you try to stop me. I swear to every holy deity there is, that _I will take you out_.” Her voice was harsh and rough. Reyes did not doubt her intentions, the hatred and betrayal glowed brightly in her eyes awash with biotic blue.

“I know the way out.” Reyes told her as he dropped the hand from her trembling shoulder. “I will take you.” Celeste shook her head.

“I don’t trust you. You’ll just lead me to whoever that Jalya is!” _“Mr. Vidal, please refrain from agitating the Pathfinder.”_ Reyes almost felt his lips twitch at the scolding tone from the AI. His plans were destroyed now anyway, he didn’t want Celeste to be hurt further.

“Please. I’ll take you outside, then I want you to listen to me. I’ll tell you everything.” Reyes told her. Celeste didn’t trust him, and didn’t believe him when he said he’d tell her everything. But she would need help to get out of the building. When they got out, she’d have to find a way to take him out somehow. She needed to escape and had to count on there being _something_ out there to stop her. Reyes always had a backup plan.

“Fine.” She nodded to him slowly. He tapped a few buttons on his omni-tool and Celeste narrowed her eyes at him. _I am keeping a monitor on the situation Pathfinder. Rest assured, I will inform you if we are not moving in the direction of the exit._ Celeste nodded as SAM’s words comforted her. Protocol Zeta was fickle and it couldn’t be maintained for longer than an hour or it would be guaranteed to fry her brain. SAM would monitor that as well. The path to the exit was only a few doors away, but then they exited into an underground cavern. The tunnels were twisty and Celeste began to feel the burden of Zeta. It didn’t look like the cave system at Draullir, but they all looked the same to Celeste. SAM hadn’t piped up to tell her they were going the wrong way, so the human assumed they were going the right way.

“Here. The exit. Your crew should be here soon.” Reyes murmured as Celeste shielded her eyes from the harsh sunlight of Kadara. Fresh air blew across her face as she looked out at the landscape. “Now, I promised to tell you the truth.” He was cut off by the soft whirring of an engine approaching. The shuttle hovered into view as the Nomad came screeching to a halt in front of the exit.

 _“Ryder!”_ The chorus of voices greeted Celeste. For the first time in what seemed like forever, a smile tugged at her lips. He noticed the smile on her lips and the pain hit him acutely. This plan may have ruined any chances of her smiling at him. _Who are you kidding Vidal? It has ruined any chance you ever had._ Reyes saw the group rushing over in a panic as they saw the state Celeste was in. Jaal and Liam reached her first.

“SAM. Cease Protocol Zeta.” _“Acknowledged Pathfinder.”_ In their private channel he further elaborated. _I shall induce a brief medical coma to help cope with your injuries. They are quite severe Ryder._ Reyes watched as Celeste slumped forward, her eyes rolling back in her head. Jaal and Liam both rushed forward as Reyes stepped forward with his hand out to grab her, but Liam was the one to catch Celeste as she fell, he saw her eyes closed.

“SAM, SAM! What is going on with Ryder?” Liam yelled out at the AI. _“There is nothing to fear. I have simply induced a medically necessary coma. Her injuries are severe and she will need time to recover.”_ SAM informed Liam. “That’s _not_ helpful SAM!” Liam gingerly scooped Celeste up against him as he looked at Reyes. “What happened Vidal?” Liam transferred Celeste over to Jaal, who brought her to the shuttle. The other man’s tone was ruthlessly cold as he spoke to the Charlatan. Vetra quickly scooped Celeste up and put her into the shuttle so they could get back. Drack already had Lexi on the comms and telling her to expect their approach.

“I would prefer speaking to a less volatile member of your crew.” Reyes informed him, his eyes hardening. Liam felt the fury rise in him, but he tamped it down. This was the only way they could get what happened. Reyes blew out an aggravated breath and pushed a hand through his hair. The nerves surprised Liam, he hadn’t expected Reyes to show vulnerability. “Kaetus kidnapped her for someone he’s working for.” Reyes bit off. He looked at Liam. “Is Diteon all right or is it still under attack?”

 _“You knew!?”_ Liam roared as he clenched his fists at his sides. They’d just spent the last four hours fighting off the waves of Outcast and Roekaar at the base. They’d expected Outcast, but the Roekaar threw them for a loop.

“Not until the attack had already begun.” The lies tripped easily off his tongue. He wished that they were not necessary, but he had to protect his role. “The building has a scrambler in it. It was impossible to get messages in or out.” Reyes explained to the other man. Liam relaxed slightly, he knew a scrambler made communication impossible. It would also explain why SAM had not been able to locate the Pathfinder. She’d been gone for almost a full day.

“What happened to Ryder?” Liam asked Reyes and saw the quick flash of pain in the smuggler’s face. Panic fluttered inside his heart as he shook his head. He had a feeling, deep down, about what happened to Celeste.

“Kaetus tortured her.” The words were spat out as if they were poison. Reyes wished he could go back and kill the turian again. “I wasn’t there when it happened.” Liam felt the impotent fury well up inside him. Reyes saw the unspoken question in the other man’s eyes. “He is dead. I made sure of that.” Liam nodded once to acknowledge the answer.

“Liam, we need to go back to the Tempest. Lexi is attending to Ryder, but she says we may need to return to the Nexus.” Jaal told the crisis specialist. Liam turned to Reyes and looked at the bleak anguish in his eyes.

“I can give you updates about Ryder. I don’t know everything, but she had feelings for you.” Liam told him but Reyes shook his head.

“No. I would prefer not to. Just send notice when she wakes up.” Reyes watched as Liam nodded and hopped into the Nomad with Jaal. They sped off towards the outpost. Reyes slammed his fist into the cave wall in an attempt to rein in his feelings. His omni-tool flashed as a call came in.

“Where is the Pathfinder?” The deep voice curled his lip as he debated what to say. Reyes knew how to answer.

“You took down the scrambler. I warned you what would happen, and it happened. The Pathfinder’s AI helped her break out. She killed Kaetus and the squad.” Reyes told the man. An answering growl rumbled out of the omni-tool.

“That useless fool! He deserves death and worse! I told him not to injure her.” The man roared in futile temper as Reyes watched as the Nomad sped over another hill before it dipped out of sight.

“So you say. Your attack on Diteon was complete and a success was it not?” The silenced stretched out in the gloom of the cave’s shadow.

“No. Diteon did not fall to us. The Pathfinder’s team is more qualified than I assumed.” Reyes rolled his eyes, yet again the man had proved too arrogant for his own good. “Return to your post at Tartarus. I will call if you I need your assistance again Shena.” The name was mocking and Reyes despised it.

“I understand.” Reyes clicked the omni-tool off as the call ended and he ran a hand over his face. He did have to get back to Tartarus, and face the wrath of some of the patrons he was sure. Celeste had almost won over Kian, and it had taken every bit of persuasion Reyes had to get Kian to stay silent. The bartender had retained his loyalties to Reyes, and he would be furious if he found out what had happened to Ryder because of it. Reyes headed to his shuttle and headed back to the port. He’d take solace in a single glass of whiskey before he tried to figure out the best way to move forward.


	12. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. The story comes to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we come to the final chapter of Fool Me Once. Always a bittersweet moment. Here's to you dear readers who have put up with me for this long.

“Celeste, surely this could wait until you’re feeling a little better?” Vetra asked cautiously as Celeste marched off the tram. The Pathfinder just stared at her with a mix of determination and fury swimming in her eyes. “Right. Sorry. I forgot how stubborn you can be.”

“I have to know what the hell they are thinking. Especially when they did this without consulting the pathfinders.” Celeste grumbled as she stormed through the operations center. Vetra told her good luck and went to visit with Sid while Celeste approached the communications center. Her arm was in a sling and she walked with a slight limp. Her throat was bandaged as she’d told SAM she wanted the scar, to remind herself of what being naive had cost her. Her arm and hand was bandaged from where the Kaetus had sliced her with his talons. Her face was still bruised and her body still ached from having her ribs repaired. Her injuries had been severe and she’d stayed in the coma for a few days. Lexi told her that she was surprised to see Celeste up and walking around as soon as she was. Celeste had told her that if _death_ couldn’t keep her down for that long, Kaetus stood no chance.

Celeste saw Kandros out of the corner of her eye as she started up the ramp. The mutinous look on her face sent him into a small panic, the Pathfinder was pissed. He quickly finished up his business and caught up to her. Avitus was behind him, he’d been briefed already by SAM. He was just as furious as Celeste was. He’d been told what the human had been through and the Nexus cut her out of the decision. Kandros stayed silent as he walked behind the human, admiring her strength even as he knew how this meeting would go. Addison looked up as they passed the communications center, and Kesh wandered out of her office to head to Tann’s office. Sarissa and Raeka were both in Tann’s office already, waiting for Celeste to join them. Both women winced as they saw the human Pathfinder approach. While each had been through their own ordeals since arriving in Andromeda, none had been quite as rocky as the human Pathfinder’s.

“I take it you are here for our decision about Diteon.” Tann faced her with his hands clasped behind his back loosely. His body advertised relaxed stance, but Celeste knew better. The salarian director was always thinking ahead and trying to keep one step ahead of Celeste. She _hated_ it. She hated the blatant manipulation from him and Addison. It made her blood boil to think that he was still trying to manipulate her after all the shit she’d been through for him and his precious Initiative. Kandros and Kesh were fairly up front with her and she respected them, which is why the decision hurt even more.

“Was it the Nexus’ decision?” Celeste asked as the other three Pathfinders flanked her. Avitus to her left, Sarissa and Raeka on her right, and all of them glaring down at the Initiative Director. “Or yours?” Her lips pulled back in a snarl as she clenched her good fist by her side, despite the discomfort it caused. Kesh groaned as she knew what this was about.

“It was our decision Ryder.” Kandros piped up from behind them. He walked over to stand beside Tann with the other two standing just off to the side.

“I hate to agree with Tann on anything, but he has the right of it this time.” Kesh told Celeste with obvious reluctance on her face. Addison crossed her arms and sneered.

“I was not in favor of this decision Pathfinder, but it is a majority rules. Despite this being a _colonial_ affair.” The barb did not go unnoticed by Tann but Celeste was not there for their petty infighting. The impatient growl scratched her still raw throat.

“I don’t give a shit if you two want to get into a pissing contest. What I want to know is why weren’t the _Pathfinders_ consulted about this decision?” Celeste told them as she jerked her hand in front of her to get them back on track. “Given what I had to go through to even get Diteon established on Kadara, you should have discussed this with me.”

“You haven’t shown yourself to be unbiased about anything pertaining to Kadara.” Celeste narrowed her eyes, the fury snapping into them. Tann took a step back at the biting fury he saw in those green eyes. It shocked him more than he cared to admit that she had the ability to unnerve him.

“And _you’re_ so much better Director?” Celeste’s snide tone widened Tann’s eyes. Normally she was the epitome of professionalism, this was a different Ryder. Something had altered in her during that time with Kaetus, she was now an unknown factor. Even Raeka looked at Celeste oddly as she seethed in silence. It was no secret that Tann had little love for the exiles.

“Regardless of our _feelings_ on the matter. The decision has been made and we will broker no argument from anyone.” Tann told her. Celeste stiffened her shoulders as she saw that arguing would get her nowhere with the Director. Avitus put his hand on her shoulder gently, but it still gave her heart a shock to see the turian hand there. As if remembering he removed it and stepped back, Raeka and Sarissa had seen the flash of fear cross Celeste’s face as her mind took her back. None of the leadership did as they were engrossed in arguing the details.

“I will oversee Diteon’s move.” Celeste piped up. Everyone looked at her. “Celeste, are you sure?” Raeka asked quietly. Celeste nodded. She looked at Tann and the others.

“I don’t think any of you would be willing to forgo giving me the closure I need for this?” She lifted the arm in the sling. It was an obvious ploy, but it seemed to work as none of the leadership had any arguments against her going to Kadara. Celeste stormed out of the office, fury radiating from her body in waves. Vetra saw Celeste head down the ramp and hurried to catch up, easily covering the distance with her long legs.

Celeste saw Vetra coming towards her, and she winced at the sympathetic look in her eyes. They boarded the tram to the docking bay. “I take it that meeting didn’t go as planned?” Celeste shook her head sadly. Vetra’s mandibles flickered as they got off the tram. “Want to grab a drink at the Vortex?”

“No. We’re going to Kadara.” Celeste told her as she headed towards the docking bay where the Tempest was. Vetra paused in surprise before she caught back up to the pathfinder.

“What are you talking about Celeste? You’re not cleared for duty.” Vetra argued as they boarded the Tempest, everyone jumped up in surprise to see Celeste standing there. Cora had been in charge while Celeste had been down. She looked shocked to see her friend on the bridge with the bandages still in place.

“Celeste? What is going on?” Celeste stood beside Cora while the rest of the team gathered in the bridge.

“As of 0600 this morning, the Nexus has made its decision regarding Diteon. We, as the team that initially helped set up the outpost, will be overseeing its move. The Andromeda Initiative has decided, given the attack on both myself and the outpost, that it would be a far better use of our resources to move Diteon to Meridian.” Celeste told the team without a single waver in her voice, a complete opposite of the storm of emotion whirling inside of her. “We will be going to Kadara and afterwards our connection to the planet will be severed. The only time we would come back is to check on any problems with the vault.” Celeste clenched her jaw to suppress the emotion in her voice. The team stared at her in shock, everyone knew what this meant for Celeste.

“Celeste, you aren’t in any shape to go to Kadara.” Cora murmured as she indicated the sling.

“I _need_ to do this Cora. Please.” Celeste told her. Understanding dawned in Cora’s eyes and she nodded reluctantly. “I understand.” Cora murmured as she let Celeste go to the galaxy map console.

“Come on Kallo. One last time to Kadara.” Celeste looked over at the pilot who nodded sadly at Celeste. He knew what this meant, they all did. Celeste gripped the railing of the console, knuckles white against the bandages. Lexi came storming into the bridge when she felt the Tempest start launch sequence. SAM had alerted her to the Pathfinder’s presence on the Tempest.

“I did _not_ authorize you for any kind of duties Ryder. Your body needs time to heal.” She stood next to Celeste with her arms crossed, fury snapping in her eyes. Celeste looked at Lexi and the asari saw the look in her face. The utter defeat in those eyes and the finality of what was going to happen. Celeste had accepted the decision, and was dealing with the pain that was coming from it. She felt the fury drain out of her body as she understood the pain that was going through the human. “Oh Celeste. I am sorry. I wish this wasn’t how it was supposed to end.” Lexi murmured as she placed her hand gently on Celeste’s shoulder. Celeste nodded solemnly as she watched the Tempest exit the Nexus orbit.

“I’ll be in my quarters. Let me know when we get to Kadara please.” Celeste pushed past the crew and their eyes full of sympathy. She just wanted to be alone and deal with the impact this decision had on her. The Nexus had taken the decision out of her hands regarding Reyes, and it frustrated her to be so helpless. Celeste climbed down the ladder awkwardly and looked over at SAM’s terminal as she strolled into her quarters.

 _“Ryder.”_ SAM’s quiet voice filled the room and Celeste nodded. She sat heavily on the sofa and felt the burning in her eyes. She had no choice now but to accept it, but she didn’t. She _didn’t_ want to. Celeste curled over her lap, her hand covering her mouth as the tears streamed down her face. The misery raked through her chest like claws, ragged and leaving a yawning bleakness behind. Celeste knew this was it, it was the end. With the Initiative’s decision, there would be no reason for her to go back to Kadara. Absolutely zero reason. She had to come to terms with never seeing him again.

Others may have been overjoyed. It was _his_ fault she’d been tortured. He’d led her into that trap, willingly. She had anger but she couldn’t bring herself to hate him. And that made her hate herself. Hatred that she couldn’t find it in her to despise him, that she still wanted to listen to his reasons. Celeste muffled the sobs against her hand as she let herself feel everything. She had to get out all the tears now or she wouldn’t keep herself in check when she had to tell Reyes the news. SAM watched over silently, allowing Celeste the privacy to grieve. He warned her when they were near Kadara, and she dragged herself up and off the couch. “Heh, I guess it’s a good thing my face is still bruised huh SAM? At least they won’t know I’ve been crying.” The orb flickered at the terminal, as SAM debated what to say to Celeste. He feared there was little he could do to ease the ragged pain inside her, as he felt it for himself.

This was a new sensation, to be absorbed by this pain. He felt her drowning in it, as it consumed her. Yet, she still possessed the miraculous ability to push through it. He wanted to better understand it, but feared that asking her would put her in more pain. SAM reached out to the Pathfinder in his own way.

 _“Pathfinder, will you be all right after this?”_ Celeste turned her head and sighed. She shook it slowly. “No SAM. I won’t be. It will be a long road ahead of grieving but I think it will get to a point that I can function normally.” _“Celeste, you can depend on me.”_ Celeste smiled at the terminal, laughter dancing in her eyes as she stared at the orb that represented SAM. “Thanks SAM. It does mean a lot to me that you’re here for me.” Celeste turned as Cora walked through the doors. She didn’t say if she saw any signs of Celeste’s crying.

“We’re landing at Diteon in a few minutes. I wanted to come by and see how you were doing.” Cora stood next to Celeste and the compassion in her eyes almost set Celeste off again. The Pathfinder sucked in a deep breath, ignoring the throbbing ache in her ribs.

“I am not okay. I doubt I’ll be okay for a while.” Celeste said as her lips slid into a sad smile, full of the misery inside her. She’d gotten the story from Cora. Reyes had omitted his part in her kidnapping, as far as her crew knew he had just been there at the right time and right place. Celeste didn’t have it in her to correct them. Only _she_ knew the truth, and that truth would go to her grave. There wasn’t a ready answer when Celeste asked herself why she was protecting him, but there it was. “But I’ll get there Cora.” Cora nodded and gave her a smile full of understanding. She knew Celeste wouldn’t tell her everything, but that was okay. Cora knew the woman was entitled to her own privacy.

“Hey Kallo. Can you drop me off at the port?” Celeste asked and the slight pause greeted her on the intercom. “Of course, Ryder. It would be best to tell the news in person, wouldn’t it?” The grin only hurt slightly as she heard the attempt at humor in his voice. Everyone was trying their best to help her feel better. Celeste would do her best to keep them from worrying so much. Kallo pulled the Tempest into the docking area at the port, and only Celeste got off. Cora would be the one, _officially,_ in charge of the pullout. Celeste saw the looks from the people at the port. They’d all heard about what had happened with Kaetus and the Outcasts.

Celeste took the elevator down to the slums. She stood in front of Tartarus silently, just studying it. Drinking in the last time she’d ever see the blinking neon. The door slid open easily and Celeste walked in silently. The atmosphere was once again boisterous with the thumping music and the whistles at the dancers. Celeste looked out over the dance floor and her eyes passed over Kian. She turned back to him when she noticed the stare. She gave him a small smile and a wave and he looked away. The little stab of pain shouldn’t have surprised her. He was in the Collective after all. Celeste headed up the stairs and towards the room. Memories edged into her mind of the last time she had to face that room and her palms got sweaty. Nausea churned her stomach as she remembered Kaetus standing just to the side with a sucker punch and it took all the courage she had to stop in front of the door. Her heart hammered in her chest as the sense of dread welled up inside of her, a cold sweat broke out on her body. She had to remind herself that Kaetus was dead, he wouldn’t be in the room. Her omni-tool was tricky to get to since her one arm had limited mobility. She managed it after a few tries.

“I told you Kian, I don’t want to be disturbed.” The voice slurred slightly and worry furrowed her brow, he didn’t sound like he’d been drinking. She also noticed the lack of any liquor bottles around. Celeste walked into the room and saw Reyes lounging on the couch. The omni-tool was open and she heard Kian’s brogue.

“Oh, I think you’ll make an exception for _this_ visitor Vidal.” Kian told him in a mocking tone and Reyes snarled at him as he shut it off. He sat up as he noticed the door open. It took him a moment for the realization to sink in. She was standing there in front of him. Liam had kept his word and sent him word when she’d woken up. His eyes roamed over her as he stood, noticing the flinch she tried to hide. That cut at him more than he’d admit. She was scared of him and it was all his own fault. He saw the bandages on her throat and remembered the blood flowing down her throat from the marks. Her arm was in a sling which meant there had been extensive damage to it, and her face was still swollen and bruised from Kaetus’ fists. He stopped when he was in front of her, his tone full of uncertainty. “Celeste.”

“No. Please. I need to tell you something Reyes.” Celeste told him hurriedly as he brought his hand up to her face. She felt thea burning come back in her chest, and she had to blink furiously to keep the tears from her eyes. He cupped her cheek and tilted her head up. “I’m sorry. I have to tell you.” Celeste told him with her voice thick with unshed tears. She leaned into the contact, selfishly craving the warmth from his palm.

“It can wait.” His voice was rough from his own emotion. He wanted to tell her the truth. Despite his being sworn to secrecy about it, he just couldn’t keep silent anymore. “I need to tell you why.” Celeste put her finger to his lips with a sad shake of her head. Her jade green eyes were dark and brimming with unshed tears. He saw the misery in her face and it cut at his own heart.

“No. Keep your secrets Reyes.” Celeste told him without heat. She’d accepted he would always have them, and they’d always be there between them. “What needs to be said is truly important.” Celeste murmured as she took a step back. His hand slid down her face and down her arm. She linked their fingers together lightly, the bandages made it slightly awkward. She was unsure of how the news would be taken, but she had to tell him. “The Nexus has decided that in light of what happened to me and the attack on Diteon. Well,” she paused to take a fortifying breath. Her heart was beating uncontrollably and she couldn’t stumble over the words. It was too important. Celeste tried desperately to keep the emotion out of her voice, and she only marginally succeeded. “As of 0600 this morning. The Nexus has decided that in light of the events regarding myself and the attack on Diteon, they are pulling the outpost from Kadara.” Reyes paused as the news sunk in. It hit like a blow, knocking the breath from him and his stomach roiled in protest. “They are moving the outpost to Meridian. After the outpost is scuttled, the Initiative will remove all its presence on the planet.” Celeste looked down at their hands for a moment before finally looking up into his eyes. She saw the suffering in his eyes and wished there had been another way. “The Initiative. Well, _Tann,_ didn’t want to wait to get the opinion on the Pathfinders before giving the order.”

Reyes stared down at Celeste as he felt the room darken around him. He hadn’t slept much since she’d been taken to the Nexus, instead he’d been working tirelessly. The world felt like it was collapsing in on itself, and he had no one to blame but himself. He should have said no when he’d been approached, but hindsight, as they say, is twenty-twenty. Now he was going to lose her and there was nothing he could say to keep her. The Initiative was leaving Kadara and that meant she had no reason to come back. _She was leaving him,_ for good. His gut clenched as he looked down at their hands, fingers twined together. “Celeste.” She shook her head slowly, the sad smile not quite reaching her eyes.

“It’s all right. You have your reasons I’m sure. Knowing them won’t change what happened. It’s like the old adage Reyes. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Celeste murmured, knowing her words would hurt, as she brought their hands up. Her throat was still burning from the misery in her, but she knew that knowing why wouldn’t heal her arms. Knowing wouldn’t take away the nightmares that came at her during the night. His reasons wouldn’t take away her uneasiness around males and especially male turians. “ _I_ don’t need to know why.”

Celeste saw he wanted to say something and she shook her head gently. “I don’t think it would ever have worked between us Reyes. You have your secrets and the shadows. I can’t live that kind of life. Just as you can’t live in the light with me.” She broke their hands apart and lifted a hand to his face. Her long fingers traced the features on his face, memorizing them, and he closed his eyes. Celeste gave him a tight smile as her hand dropped. It was time to go.

Reyes saw the shift in her face and he knew it was good bye. He still had to tell her, despite everything. She _needed_ to know there was still a threat out there. He grasped the uninjured part of her arm and stilled her movements. Jalya wouldn’t be subtle too much longer and the thought of her in more danger sickened in. This time he wouldn’t be there to help her, and he despised the feeling of helplessness. “You need to know what you and the Initiative face Celeste. Why I had to do what I did. You say you don’t need to know the reasons, and that’s fine. But it’s not just you this would impact.” Reyes told her and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. He noticed her body went tense and he cursed, not for the last time, that he’d agreed to this damned plan.

“The man, Jalya, is a member of the Roekaar. He has been organizing them. He is taking Akksul’s place and they are formidable. He sees the benefit to pairing up with the other species that have a grievance with the Initiative.” Reyes explained as he watched the light dawn in her eyes. She understood the implications better than he could have hoped. Her lips parted in shock and he kept his eyes on hers.

“What you’re saying… He’s going to target the other Pathfinders?” Celeste murmured and Reyes shook his head. Relief swept through Celeste but then she saw how pinched his face looked. Her eyes widened as another sinister thought took root in her mind. “No. He’s going after the Nexus?” Reyes nodded slowly and Celeste felt the ground go out from under her. Even Akksul had never dared to attack the Nexus head-on. He would take the outposts, but to go after the _heart_ of the Initiative? That was too much.

“I will forward everything I have to your SAM.” Reyes told her quietly. Celeste looked at him and grasped his sleeve. Her mind was working furiously and it hit her.

“Who told you about him? He’s the reason I was kidnapped, isn’t he?” She saw the wince and knew it was the truth. She had to know who was behind the kidnapping, who let her be kidnapped like that. The memories of that horrific day threatened to overcome her mind but she bit the inside of her cheek to force them away.

“I can’t say. I _can’t_ Celeste.” Reyes told her as he felt her hand tighten on his sleeve. Celeste felt the tears prick her eyes. The tears cut him as sharp as any knife, she was still in pain. He truly couldn’t tell her, it would risk far more than she knew.

“All right. All right. Relay all the information you have to the Tempest. I’ll get SAM to analyze it and see what he can come up with.” Celeste swallowed past the lump in her throat. She looked up at him and released his sleeve. “I have to go now.” Celeste told him with a voice thick with emotion. She felt the tears as they slid down her cheeks, she couldn’t hold them back anymore. “This is good-bye Reyes. I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Reyes felt the ache in his chest spread. He wondered if the darkness would consume him with Ryder gone. He liked to think he had more self-control than that, but there were doubts swimming in his mind. Their eyes met and her lips turned up in a sad smile. Her hand reached up to his cheek, the bandages felt rough against his skin.

“Don’t let it consume you Reyes. You are stronger than you think.” She murmured and he felt the breath leave him. How had she guessed what he had been thinking? He didn’t want to let her go. His body moved on its own and his lips covered hers. Celeste sighed and sank into the kiss. She poured all her feelings into it, hoping to get across what she couldn’t in words. Her hand slid into his hair, threading through the thick locks. The warmth wasn’t urgently running through her body this time, but slow as molasses. It reached every part of her and she wished she could do more, but there was a line she wasn’t willing to cross.

His head lifted and he stared down at her, his eyes showing everything he couldn’t say. She felt her smile tremble. “Reyes, it’s time.” He pulled her against his chest, careful of her injured arm. “I can’t stay. You know that.” Celeste murmured to him.

“You could. Harper or your brother could be Pathfinder. You don’t need to be in the danger anymore.” Reyes buried his face against her uninjured shoulder as he spoke. Those thoughts had crossed her mind before, and she spoke the very reason why she couldn’t do it.

“I don’t want anyone to sacrifice themselves for me anymore.” The words seemed to echo off the walls and he tightened his grip slightly on her. She ignored the twinge of pain it caused as he finally released her. He couldn’t meet her eyes, he was too afraid to see the understanding in them. He stepped back, keeping his face averted. Celeste wanted to see his eyes one last time, but she understood he had to do this for his own sanity. “If you ever need me, _truly,_ need me Reyes. Send SAM an encrypted message. I’ll be there.” Celeste turned towards the door. She felt as if she was moving through mud as her body left the private room. She turned to see him one last time before the door slid shut. It cut a hole in her heart to see him like that. His shoulders were slumped, and he kept his face averted from her but the misery was clear to read. “Good-bye Reyes.” Celeste murmured as the doors to his private room slid shut, and she saw the lock flip to red. The tears flowed down her cheeks as she walked down the stairs. She wiped her face as she turned at Kian’s call.

“Watch over him for me Kian? I can’t anymore.” Celeste murmured quietly, she knew he wouldn’t be able to hear her as she waved at him. She left the bar quickly, heading straight for the elevator. Her omni-tool buzzed as she stepped onto the elevator.

“Celeste. Are you finished with your business? The Tempest just pulled into the docking bay.” Cora’s hesitant voice came over the comm line. Celeste took a fortifying breath as the gate slid shut behind her.

“Yeah. Yeah I’m done.” Celeste told her.

“Celeste.” Cora murmured but Celeste shook her head. She only hoped Reyes kept his promise about sending the information about Jalya to SAM’s terminal.

“I’ll be fine. There is new information you need to know.” Celeste murmured as the elevator started up. The slums of Kadara faded from view, and Celeste realized it was as if a chapter was being shut in her life. Once again, she was powerless to stop it.


End file.
